The sky was full of light, thanks to the star Princess Celestia had rose above the clouds. The world was silent to mere passers that happened to walk by the entrance to the infamous forest known as Everfree, but to those that possessed profound skills of observation they would know that such silence only hid the minacious truth that lay beyond the entrance of the strange forest.
Everypony that was a pony, every griffon that had been around Equestria, every dragon, wolf, deer, penguin, kangaroo, pegasus, unicorn, the princesses or any other sapient creature that had been around Equestria, knew of the dangers that lay within the forest, beyond its entrance.
That was why it was advised to all young colts and fillies to stay away from the Everfree. To young and old, dumb and wise all had been warned to stay away. To only venture through the Everfree when it was an emergency. Perhaps this is an exaggeration, but try to say that to me when you're choking with devastation, facing your doom with no way to escape your sad little fate.
Trapped on all sides by Timberwolves, their rancid breath hitting the fools that get lost in the forest in the face. The unfortunate that came across wyverns, only trying to get a bit of air, be it pony or innocent other, just to end up at the wrong end of a wyverns pointed tail. The imbeciles who thought they could make it through the deepest parts of the forest to prove their bravery only ended up as the meals of chimera, maybe even a snack in few cases. Those that escaped the clutches of the Everfree Forest, told tales though of the horrors they had witnessed and the things they had experienced.
Sure some were lucky. Sure the Everfree Forest hadn’t caused much trouble in the present due to Princess Celestia’s presence, but in the past oh ho ho, now there was a time where terror was never more deadly when a forest had grown serenely silent.
Fables were made, stories formed, hypotheses and suppositions created around the strange forest that had a life of its own. Its clouds did not need the aid of pegasi to move it or create rain. It’s vegetation grew on its own, the most bizarre thing of it all was not a single earth pony was ever there to even aid in such a forests plant life growth. Rumors had spread, ones that even challenged- rivalled even the stories that had been told from generation to generation about the Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon. Rumors that it was dangerous, that the beasts that lay there were practically creatures from Tartarus itself. That those foolish enough to go inside such a place without the right level of knowledge, skill, luck or adaptability to be able to adjust to different situations in the forest would forever be lost, never to be seen or heard from again.
And just as there were many dangerous, terrifying creatures in the forest that would make you piss yourself and scream “Ay-Chiwowa!” there were also normal animals that lived within the more safer outer walls of the Everfree.
These animals were bears, deers, butterflies, and hummingbirds, along with beavers and other gentle creatures that refused to accept the more savage instincts buried deep within them. They all formed a comfortable ecosystem in the safer rings of Everfree. Away from all the death and darkness that darkened every tree branch, every stem, and every leaf in that seemingly silent forest.
Yet within this forest there were few animals that travelled in what could be called a “pack”, capable of living in the safe side of the forest, yet also capable of living in the darker rings of good ol’ Everfree, all in the attempts to survive and get better food.
Few bears were part of this pack. Bears were tough, strong, powerful. But a bear also had a great sense of smell, amazing sight, and hearing. Yet only a few bears dared to travel within the forest to gain food.
Beavers who learned from process of imitation and reasoning, were herbivores, and thanks to a friendly young pegasus who had recently planned on moving into Ponyville these groups along with many other animals didn’t need to spend as much time hunting for a food source, as long as they got their new comrade’s friendly visits now and then.
Yet there was still one certain pack, a group of unexpected sorts that spent their time travelling from both their safe zone to the hunting grounds.
This group was called a herd. And currently on top of the food chain, the most innocent creatures of them all, braving the worst parts of the forest, were rabbits.
The ground was wet, the world covered by the shadows of these giant trees with a few rays of sunlight shooting out in between the spaces of their leaves. The air stunk of sweat, dirt and who knows what else. I’m only seven years old, yet here I am. Constantly travelling between both the warm bright light that is shone just beyond Everfree Forest’s entrance, then returning to the darkness where both my parents sacrificed themselves to keep me out of here.
I suppose I was always a stubborn rabbit. The other members of my herd did not say it but they certainly implied it at every opportunity. How I was picky with what I ate, even when we were out risking our hide’s for the sake of good carrots or fruit growing around certain parts of the forest.
I ignored it. In my opinion I had every single reason to be “impudent”, as Long Ears constantly stated. I lost my parents years ago to three manticores. The rest of the herd had been able to make it out but my parents and I got separated from the others when the manticores began to catch up, and we weren’t able to hold them off any longer. After that everything else is a blur.
I was eight months going nine back then, I’m seven years old now. I’ve grown since then, and made a bit of a change in the natural food chain ladder. In my opinion my “impudence” or “disrespectfulness” was what kept us all alive, whenever we ran out of food and that pegasus wasn’t around to pass scraps out. My disregard for those I didn’t consider worth my respect was what got us food. Was what kept us all going.
Why else was I the most respected rabbit in all of Everfree?
Surviving in the wild, both in the comforts of your allies or in the darkest crevices of this forest does things. It changes a bunny. No longer are we cute and cuddly when we are out here in the wild. Changes had to be made, adaptations were done and ultimately it was for the better.
Like any other animal that enters the territory of another one has to be alert, my ears twitched as I adjusted to the new sounds that passed the spot my group and I were currently hiding in. When entering a predator’s territory you have to be discrete. Act clandestine so you aren’t caught. One slip up and it’s game over. I had to learn this the hard way when I watched Hopscotch get eaten whole by a dragon one night when we stumbled into a dragon’s den. That’s a story for another time. I will tell you that he died peacefully, my ears were spared any raucous crunching or sight of bloodshed. I suppose that’s the best death a bunny could ask for. Saved me some mental scarrings I suppose.
A beating sound came off from the distance making my team and I snap our heads in the direction of the sound. Long Ears had finally given the signal that the coast was clear.
I turned around and gave a slight squeak to my team. To others it may sound like I was speaking in my natural animal tongue, but to me it was as clear as any other Equestrian I had ever heard. “Alright you guys” I said with my arms crossed and a stern expression. “We’re going out there today, and we’re going out there heroes. We’re going to get those carrots, rip off those apples from their stems up on those large trees, and then we’re going to return with enough fruit and food that Princess Celestia herself will praise our courage for EONS!” I said with a triumphant paw raised.
My team understood my words of encouragement. Dust rose into the air as their strong powerful feet, slammed into the ground in praise of my words, till we all froze as we heard a whistle sing through the air. All of our ears simultaneously lifting to the air, listening to the signal.
“GO!!” I yelled. And so we did. A small group of bunnies hopped out of their hiding place in the bushes, being led by their leader, I, Victor F. Bunny. Or as I my name was best known as, Angel.
In a blur of white, my team and I scurried with great haste towards our subordinate’s direction. All the while our ears alert, our senses up, and every fiber of our beings ready to adapt in case the situation changed in a blink of an eye.
With teamwork we were all up the first few branches of the trees, and in a matter of seconds each member of my platoon began gathering fruit. Some for ourselves when we retreated back to Ponyville’s edge. A few for the others that may or may not have decided to get their own food.
There was always a reason to bring something back for the others that didn’t like venturing in the forest. I suppose you could say it was my way of looking out for them, since they had all helped in raising me from a young buck to the fearless one I am now.
It was only natural, after all the open fields were wild. The Everfree was a dangerous place, and I had had the sad chance of learning that personally from a young age up till now. Anything could happen, so it was best to make allies with the guys that were bigger than you and could provide some support in areas you necessarily couldn’t.
I may be a bunny warrior, but I’m not an idiot.
Ultimately, just as the wild was unpredictable and anything could happen. So did our little scavenge for food go just as unpredicted.
“Angel!” one of the other bunnies called.
I looked down from the branch I was climbing, inches away from the pear I was currently trying to reach only to see one of my brethren had spotted something about four feet away.
Instantly I felt a chill go up my spin, my flawless bunny tail losing a bit of its “umpf” in the puff in the process. My eyes narrowed, my satellite built ears honed in on the crunching of dead leaves as this figure approached and slowly passed underneath us.
In an instant I felt all the tension in the air that had arisen immediately die out as I immediately began to notice that gentle yet fragile clopping sound that could come from only one creature in all of Equestria.
“Fluttershy?” I gawked, my ears falling back to my head. The pegasus mare that fell out of the sky a few years back and was saved by a group of butterflies. I had seen her visit Everfree’s edge a couple of times ever since she moved into Ponyville.
On the few occasions that my herd and I left Everfree to the outer edge of the forest where safety pervaded, the mare had tried to approach us. Obviously being the brave warrior I was...I had ran away in courageous bunny fear.
My ears rose halfway as I heard another whistle. One that made the pegasus mare under us look up in our direction.
Months of training and innate instinct kicked in. We all hid stealthily in the behind the thicket of leaves, our weight barely doing anything under the thin branches, as some of my teammates hopped from branch to branch for better cover.
In a second everything went still. I noticed that in all of our haste to avoid being seen, one of my teammates had caused a weak branch to break and fall off. I bit my lip feeling perspiration beginning to form around my already damp coat. Waiting silently in the bushes for nearly an hour had made us all tired and sweaty as we waited for a safe opening, that branch hitting the ground wouldn’t do us any better.
Don’t be confused. I wasn’t scared. I’m a warrior. Since my parents death and my very own witness of comrades dying in the grassy plains of Everfree I’ve learned to change, and face danger when there was no other choice. What bothered me...was Fluttershy’s presence here.
Don’t make a mistake. I wasn’t scared for her. She was a pegasus, four times a bunny’s size, and to top it all off she had wings. Pegasi as rumors had gone through the mystical animal kingdom were fierce winged equines that weren’t to be trifled with when they were looking for one of their own or a friend. They could be brutes when those they cared for were harmed. but then again this was Fluttershy we were talking about.
I didn’t know much about this mare since I rarely approached her, but from what my brethren say she’s nothing like the other pegasi. She prefers to stay on ground, she’s extremely nice and as I’ve been told tends to freak out over the smallest thing, even critters that had nothing but a scratch from a playful scuffle would get her really worried.
Another thing that bothered me was this, Fluttershy never went into Everfree, she was too scared to do something like that. So why was she here? -my ears wilted a bit- the branch gently tapped the ground with a ruffle of its leaves. Fluttershy as I had predicted let out a loud “eep” hovering into the air.
I frowned, then noticed some of my comrades were laughing at her. Don’t ask me why but this made me kinda angry for some reason. One powerful beat of my foot on the ground, and all were immediately silenced, knowing their leader has spoken.
We went back to watching the mare who now saw the broken tree branch and approached it, still flying I might add. When Fluttershy noticed that it was nothing but a broken branch that fell off one of the trees she sighed and let out a nervous chuckle.
I sighed, and stared at the mare quizzically. I had also heard from my allies that this pegasus had a strange technique about her. One that if she wanted with just one simple look, she could quell any beast. My brethren had informed they had only seen it been done once.
I found it hard to believe that such a pegasus, that was scared of her own shadow could hold such a stare that could shift the hearts of even the fiercest of creatures.
A few seconds passed before we watched her move deeper into the forest. Her steps were hesitant, apprehensive like she really wanted to go back to her cottage out on Ponyville’s edge. Something we all knew she really wanted to do.
It wasn’t until she said something that caught our attention. That caught my attention. We had a feeling she was looking for something or maybe one of the other animals of the forest she’d recently been taking care of. But what we hadn’t expected was that she would come looking...for us.
“Angel!” she called. “Angel! Other Bunnies? Where are you?” Fluttershy called.
A low growl from within nearby bushes was the only response she got. Fluttershy visibly flinched, her wings spreading in a defensive manner before she turned her attention away from those bushes and began moving a bit closer towards a path that would provide her with a easy escape.
I was...confused. The current pegasus foolishly searching for me and my allies, knew not what trouble she was inviting to her. She kept yelling my name in that quiet manner of hers, but the less we responded, the farther away she got, and the louder she seemed to get if only a bit.
My ears slightly tilted, aiming my hearing away from my concerns on this pegasus. My team was talking.
“We got enough food, we should head back.”
“Wait!” I said. The team stopped and looked at me, waiting to hear what their captain, their leader had to say. “What about Fluttershy? She’s out there looking for us we have to tell her we were just getting food and she should head back before she meets something she doesn’t want to.”
“Why?” one of the younger bucks of my team asked. “We came here for food. Dodged a bunch of timberwolves on the way and are done with the mission, besides sir if she got this far it’s obvious she can take care of herself. I don’t see why we need to-” a swift blow to the chops and the young buck was down.
My little fist shook violently with rage as I glared at them. “This is the team I took with me to gather food? This is the team I’ve taken with me for the past four years to not only help us but to help the rest of our herd?”
“With all do respect sir” Long Ears said to hopping over on to my branch. “That ‘herd’” he said, using air quotes with his paws “isn’t our actual herd. They’re just a bunch of other animals that have helped us out till now. We don’t know when things could go south and they end up turning on us.”
“That is a load of hogwash and you know it” I stated, my lower lip extending and my eyes narrowing with disgust. “They may not be the same species as us, but they’ve helped us this far! They’ve helped me this long, without them I’d be dead. And you all know you would be too!” the branch shook after I slammed my foot against it for good measure.
The herd was silent. Their leader has spoken. The young buck I had punched, was now getting help to rise. Had there been more bunnies in this unit rather than eight, maybe they would have changed their minds. But I had picked these eight because they were the best out of all the other bunny families. I always picked the best. Yet it seems my so called “best” were lacking in things unrelated to skill and instinct.
Seconds passed, and I could feel a change in the entire environment itself. Bunnies had a natural sense to be able to pick up when a predator had arrived, and my radar was going off.
My teammates hadn’t noticed yet. Then again these weren’t teammates, these were just scavengers looking out for themselves. I leaned down on the branch, letting my belly push up against it, ignoring the strange sensation it gave me I focused my attention, before lifting a paw in the air to get the rest of my ‘team’ to participate.
Instantly all conflict on our discussion to help Fluttershy was ceased, temporarily. The team scattered into the cover of the leaves, while I kept watch on the ground and occasionally the sky.
Seconds passed, nothing showed. My senses were still going off though. This predator was close. And from the sound of those hoofsteps, my ears twitched again as I could hear gentle clopping.
“So is Fluttershy” I muttered with annoyance at the sudden change of situation.
Things were beginning to look bad. Everfree was unpredictable, so in some ways I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised things turned out this way. The problem was getting Fluttershy out of here by myself now.
Depending on the creature I could distract it and possibly take it down if it wasn’t too powerful. But if it were anything like a full grown dragon the only thing I could manage on my own was a distraction.
My teeth were grinding together in annoyance by how things had shifted into the gain of the cursed forest, ending up with me losing the upper hand.
Giving a quick glance back to my team, I saw they were packing the supplies we’d gathered up in a sack we had brought for the food.
I sighed and decided to try something else. It wasn’t my style to ask for help, especially in situations like these but without knowledge on the creature or its size and appearance I would just be a sitting duck.
“Long Ears” I called, my attention still focused on Fluttershy’s direction. The branch I was on shook as I felt Long Ears jump over to my side once more.
“Sir?”
“Take the food, and disperse it between the others. I will stay here and watch Fluttershy to make sure she is alright. Once you get to the edge though, the moment you see Harry the bear, tell him where we are! Do you understand?”
“Sir, I still don’t see-” Long ears was cut off by my foot beating against the branch for his silence.
“Long Ears, I gave you an order. Do. You. Understand?” I repeated, my ears now dropped against my head and my eyes slanted in anger.
Long Ears looked at the others, then looked back at me. After a second he nodded. “Yes sir...we will inform Harry, once we have made it safely out of the forest.”
“Good” I stated. “Now we split up in three” I got on all fours my eyes directed on the ground. “Two...” The branches creaked and whined around us as more weight was applied, each bunny preparing to launch off their branches on my command.
“One...good luck you guys.”
“Right back at you Commander Angel Bunny!”
*** ***
In an instant the branches began to dip as each bunny ran to the very end of each branch before jumping off, landing on the ground and doing a roll before shooting down to Everfree’s exit. I landed a second later, shooting off in Fluttershy’s direction.
My ears were up, I could feel a rush going through me. It had been awhile since I last participated in something like this, or ever had to be the one hunting another animal. Usually I just dealt with defense when the time arrived, seems like today would be a different story.
My ears picked up the sound of something slithering off in the distance, Fluttershy’s hoof steps as I could now tell with my keen hearing were quickly moving away from the sound.
I grimaced, picking up the pace, whatever was out there had noticed Fluttershy and was heading towards her.
Moving as fast as my powerful legs could get me I quickly closed the distance. Up ahead I could hear Fluttershy whimper, and say something else. My brain however was no putting its everything on this predator that was after her.
A patch of bushes blocked my view from the mare and her attacker. I let one bead of sweat slid off my coat and hit the ground. Standing on my hind legs I used those built muscles meant for hopping and leaped into the air. Jumping over the bushes and in the process getting the chance to see who or what was with Fluttershy.
Everything went in slow motion for those brief five seconds I was airborne.
Fluttershy was pinned against a tree. Her body shaking nervously, that is till she caught the sight of my small body soaring in the air, right over the bushes. She stared, clearly shocked and surprised that such a small bunny like myself was the one coming to her rescue.
It didn’t surprise me though I had been told this before. My eyes darted over to the figure a few feet away from her and instantly I felt my blood run cold as I began my descent back to the ground.
It was a ophiotaurus. A half bull, half serpent beast. The upper body of a bull, and the lower body of a serpent.
The creature eyed Fluttershy and had yet to notice me. I landed on the ground, my figure being hidden by the shadows the bushes cast. Fluttershy’s eyes still stared in my direction with fear not for herself anymore but for me.
The bull beast hadn’t noticed my presence yet. Or in fact just didn’t care that much.
Perfect. The element of surprise was always a key component in attacking one’s prey. And though this monster was four times my size and was probably much more stronger than me, I had surprise and luck on my side. It was my prey, and I the predator.
The ophiotaurus slithered towards Fluttershy, its nostrils flaring and a bit of drool dribbling from the corner of its lip.
Fluttershy tensed, backing away from it only to have her flank bump against the trunk of the tree behind her.
The moment her eyes diverted away from her assailant to the tree behind her the ophiotaurus attacked. It’s head out ready to skewer her with its horns, completely forgetting she had wings.
Before either could do anything though, the bull serpent creature found itself feeling a sharp pain in the neck. I had just sent myself flying at it like an arrow, and firmly landed a foot just below its jaw, right around its jugular.
Pressing firmly as my foot rammed into the pound of muscle, I pushed, hard. The creature winced in pain, letting out a grunt that sounded like a scream as the pressure built into the spot my foot had hit.
The creature tried to flick me off with its tail, but I merely used its jugular as a board and hopped right off on to its shoulder.
This sent the taurus into a blind sense of rage.
It began kicking, smacking its serpent tail around in an attempt to get me to fly off, but I had a firm grip on its coat and wasn’t letting go. Reaching for the small pouch I carried rocks or pebbles around in to use as distractions, I took one out.
A sharp pebble I’d been using as a somewhat makeshift knife.
I took it and stabbed it into the bull’s shoulder. Blood shot out, just barely missing me as I gritted my teeth and forced the object deeper through all the muscle that acted like a shield of its own on the bull.
The bull bellowed with a roar, thrashing about in a way that if I had let go I surely would have died. Fluttershy kept her distance, I could tell she wanted to get me away from this thing but if she did she knew it meant risking both of us getting injured with the way the creature was thrashing about.
Finally the bull did something I didn’t expect. It used its head.
Feeling something wrap around my leg, I looked down just in time to see the bull had its serpent tail gripping my hind leg. I gulped.
Slung into the air then being whirled around like a rodeo rope I could feel all the fruit I ate earlier ready to come spewing out of me if this kept up. Fluttershy saw I was in danger and came in to help, the bull swung its head in her direction, horns just barely missing her as it continued flailing me around in the air.
My face went green, my leg was starting to seriously hurt. I think a muscle must have been pulled when it snatched me off my weapon embedded within its shoulder.
Swallowing the bile that threatened to come out, I moved for my pouch,barely managing to keep all my rocks and pebbles inside I pulled out my back up rock knife. With some effort I managed to lift my upper body forward towards the tail wrapped around my leg, I was going to cut the tail off so I could get my leg back.
Taurus over there must have noticed. Instantly the swinging suddenly stopped, the world had stopped spinning but my leg was still paining me. I looked up, or in my case since upside down, down and saw the ophiotaurus eyeing me.
The look of shock on its face said it all. “A bunny?” it spoke. Fluttershy and I paused.
“Y-You can talk?” Fluttershy asked.
The bull snorted something fierce in response. “Then why haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve said” she asked slowly edging towards us. Her wings up, in case an attack was sent her way.
The bull said nothing, it glanced back up at me, then looked at my rock sword stabbed within its shoulder. It winced.
“I do not listen to trespassers on my territory” it stated.
Fluttershy and my own eyes widened with realization. “I didn’t know this area was yours sir, honest. Can’t you just forget about this?”
Taurus shook his head. “It is a rule among ophiotaurus, “All trespassers are to be disposed of. No exceptions." The moment you crossed this threshold” it pawed the ground with a forehoof, “your fate was sealed.”
Fluttershy sighed sadly, peering through her mane and looking at me. “I’m sorry about this Angel, I didn’t mean to get you caught up in this mess. I was just worried about you and the other bunnies is all” Fluttershy turned her attention to the bull and offered a slightly nervous smile.
“Why don’t you let him go, and take me instead. It was me you wanted right? I crossed into your territory he was only coming to help me. You can put him down right? You don’t need to eat him or anything right?” she asked gently, her eyes glancing over to the taurus’ wound. “Besides I could help you get that fixed. I’m pretty good with animals” she said gently, moving forward just an inch.
The bull snorted, as a warning for her to step back. “I cannot. Rules of the wild are here for a purpose, each creature of the Everfree has their own rules they stick by, I will not abandon my own” it pawed the ground once more.
“Fight or die” the taurus stated.
Fluttershy said nothing, a frown taking over her face. “That’s just awful” she said sadly.
I agree, it was awful. Some beings just couldn’t be bothered to bend their natural instincts just a bit for the sake of a better outcome. I had to, and look at my current situation. I was still adapting to how everything had changed from me and my group gathering food to myself now fighting a two hundred pound mythological creature.
Swinging forward I slashed off the part of the tail holding me and fell to the ground near the taurus. It screeched in pain, at the loss of it’s tail then looked at me in rage.
“Die it is then” lifting a hoof it prepared to slam the powerful crusher down on me and end my life. With the yell of a warrior that had faced many a battle, Fluttershy charged the beast and knocked it to the ground with such a force I thought for sure it was dead. The beast winced and coughed in pain, but was still conscious.
Fluttershy glared at it, floated off the temporarily paralyzed taurus then moved to my side gently prodding me with a hoof. “Are you alright?” she asked gently nuzzling me.
I couldn’t help but offer a weak smile. Perhaps this pegasus wasn’t as weak as the other animals believed. The ground shook underneath us, forcing me to rise to a sitting position as the ophiotaurus slithered back up to a standing position on that long serpent tail of his
It snorted, a cloud appearing from its nose in the process. Don’t ask me how but it happened. Then with a roar that only a bull could make, it charged horns out and ready.
I felt another rush of adrenaline. Then instantly got to my feet, wincing in the process from the pain in my leg.
Fluttershy immediately lifted me in her hooves and took off into the air, managing to dodge the beast's attack. The creature ran straight through three trees before stopping and looking back at us, circling the ground below us.
“What are you doing?” I asked with annoyance trying to wriggle out of her hooves and get back to the fight. “I need to get that thing or else it’ll follow us back to Ponyville, and then we’ll have a problem on our hands!”
Fluttershy smiled at my courage but shook her head. “I can’t let you do that?”
“Why not!?! This isn’t about protecting myself this is about protecting the rest of my friends back on the edge of the forest! Let. Me. GO!”
Fluttershy shook her head once again still smiling warmly. I couldn’t fathom why she would smile in this situation till she spoke: “I can’t let you get yourself hurt, because you’re my friend. And you came all this way just for me right? If you get hurt I’d never forgive myself” she stated, my ears slightly twitching when I could hear how her voice cracked just a bit.
I also noticed something else in her warm expression that...seemed to melt my warrior heart. She...held tears in her eyes. Like she was now understanding what I had been through my entire life as a bunny. Always looking out for the herd, always trying to be the loner, all while trying to survive in the harsh ways of the forest.
She was...sympathetic towards me. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time. She...genuinely cared about me, about all of us. Unlike the ponies of Ponyville that merely passed us by without even so much as a glance.
For awhile I said nothing, merely staring at her. This pegasus that rarely flew and was scared of almost everything. Yet at the same time had the heart to talk to me in such a kind way and even reason with that ophiotaurus.
Suddenly I felt myself gaining a newfound respect for this pegasus named Fluttershy. I offered a smile at her after a few seconds then lifted a paw and gently wiped away a tear.
“Thanks for caring” I said gently. I wanted to say more, but my ears picked up something not to far away.
It sounded like...Harry!
A devilish grin slowly replaced my cute features as a thought began to work its way in my head. I looked down and saw the ophiotaurus was still circling, glaring up at us. Just waiting for us to take a direction so it could follow and lay waste to everything. It seemed to wince every now and then from the pain I had inflicted in its shoulder.
My grin widened. “Fluttershy” I said ushering her to come closer. “I have a plan.”
Trees were torn right out of their roots as Taurus slammed his tail into every tree trunk in sight. The ophiotaurus was outraged at having his territory crossed, and was not willing to give up till the intruders had been dealt with.
A good football field away were three figures: a pegasus, a bunny, and a bear. And at the exact moment, the group could feel the ground vibrate with every tree that toppled and struck the ground.
“Where are you?!” the taurus’ voice snarled, reverberating throughout the forest.
Fluttershy whimpered, but I gently placed a paw on her hoof for reassurance. She smiled and calmed. Turning to Harry, the bear, I asked him the question I was going to before I was interrupted by our crazy friend: “Do you remember the plan?”
“Yup, we’re good to go Angel. I’ll be waiting for the right moment.”
I nodded then turned to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, are you ready to do your part?”
She hesitated, as I expected. Anyone would be nervous with the task I was asking her to do but she seemed determined to do it if it meant all of this madness would come to an end.
“Y-Yes” she said meekly. Before she rose back to her hooves I suddenly felt myself get wrapped in her hooves and hugged in her tight embrace. My ear lifting up as I could hear her heartbeat. It felt...relaxing.
Harry cleared his throat and I snapped myself out of it, realizing I was nuzzling the pegasus. With a fake cough I hopped out of her embrace and nodded. “Alright, let’s get this thing over with.”
Fluttershy took off in the direction of the ophiotaurus, and I moved towards a different position waiting for my que.
Silence filled the forest once again. Save for the cawing of ravens, the chirping of birds and the sound of wind gently playing with the grass and cooling the sweat on my fur.
For a few minutes nothing happened.
All was peaceful. But in these times that was when the Everfree Forest was at its worst.
The sound of hooves rushing in my direction soon hit my ears. I could hear Fluttershy’s heavy breathing as she picked up the pace, maintaining her distance from the heavy hooves that slammed into the ground behind her, belonging to the beast that wanted to end us all.
Poking my head out of the bushes, and looking around I saw her. She was running straight down the path which would end up passing me and my hiding place. Just a few feet away was ophiotaurus.
Fluttershy saw me ahead of time, slightly nodded her head that the plan was a go and then flapped her wings, taking off and pulling ahead from the taurus.
The moment she soared by I tucked my head back in the bushes, pulled back one of the more sturdier branches so I could use it like a slingshot then waited.
And waited. And waited. My ears listening carefully to the taurus’ hoofs till I felt he was close enough.
One shot. All I had was one to make this plan work.
The moment I saw a hoof a couple of inches away I loosened my grip and sent myself flying through the bushes like a fireball. The bull never saw my paw coming when I clocked him right under the jaw.
Everything slowed down considerably after that. My paw hurt badly, but as I shot past the taurus I watched him wobble on his serpent tail, blood trickling from its nose and its lips were bleeding something fierce.
Gravity soon took its toll, slowing me down, then dragging me back to earth where I landed right on the ophiotaurus snout, His eyes were swirling, and he seemed dazed. Everything was still going according to plan.
Using his snout like a board I jumped onto his head, grabbed both horns and pulled, His whole body swivelled to the left, and right on target was Harry, charging at full speed with all his weight ready for the charge.
Taurus soon snapped out of it. His large snake tongue flicking in the air as his eyes focused once again and noticed the massive ball of fur charging him. He began to pull back and try and swivel away, but I used my strong foot, smacked him in the back of the head with a hard tap, then put my weight on his left horn where he once again faced Harry.
The impact from the bear’s charge was dreadful. The ophiotaurus went down almost instantly with Harry when he tackled him. I was sent soaring into the air, practically ready to face my death.
I didn’t. Fluttershy caught me just in time.
Once we landed beside the bear and he got off the ophiotaurus, we just stared at the unconscious being, before deciding to take our leave before he woke up again.
Fluttershy nuzzled me. Harry smiled and gave me a thumbs up, and I never felt more proud using my warrior instinct to help get us out of this ordeal.
As we headed out of Everfree Fluttershy took her time, letting Harry pass us a bit before she asked me a question. One I’ll never forget to this day.
“Hey Angel? Your leg might be a bit hurt and um....you did help save me with Harry so if you wanted a snack I wouldn’t mind you coming inside my cottage for a bit” she said with a smile.
I was still being cradled in her fetlock as the light that shined outside Everfree was just mere inches away. I smiled, almost finding the idea amusing, knowing what she was really asking here.
I considered it. This mare had shown great courage on her own despite her benign nature. I noticed she was looking at me, waiting for my answer.
I crossed my arms, and offered her a smile “Sure...I’d love to be your friend.”
“And since then I haven’t left Fluttershy’s side since” said a slightly larger bunny. Angel Bunny now sat beside a sleeping Fluttershy and had just finished telling his story to a group of other bunnies, children of his former team. And the other animals gathered in Fluttershy’s cottage.
“Wow” a baby duck said. “No wonder Fluttershy leaves you in charge of the others.” I grinned, a confident smile crossing my face.
“But of course. I may be cute” I said crossing my arms as a devilish grin crossed my face. “But I’m also one heck of a bunny warrior.”
Author's Note
Been wanting to do a story about how Angel Bunny and Fluttershy met for awhile. Decided to make it based off the Everfree and include facts of how the place was strange and rarely ventured very well known in this particular story. Why it was so dangerous and rarely visited. How it gave chills to even the animals that lived nearby or around there and even had rumors of its own considering how little the characters of the show know so little about it.
Then I thought, hey Angel Bunny and some of the other animals live nearby there. Why not throw them in, from before Fluttershy got accustomed with all the animals, include some nature logic and see where this goes. Ultimately I liked it how this turned out. I had fun displaying Angel's tough yet kind personality as its depicted in the show.
Anyway here it is, hope you like it and as always, enjoy!
