Season: Z
Episode: M
A Pint Sized Problem
(By: Flame Runner)
A lazy afternoon sun hung sleepily in the bright blue sky. A few quick knocks clacked against Fluttershy’s cottage. Fluttershy herself, a shy yellow pegasus with pink hair and three butterflies for a cutie mark, was feeding one of her animal friends named Angel. Angel was a cute white fluffball of a bunny, but his cute exterior betrayed his somewhat demanding attitude.
“Just one moment please!” Fluttershy called sweetly to the one knocking.
The pegasus finished the colorful salad she was making for Angel and then went to answer her front door. As the door creaked open happily, a purple unicorn, burdened with a saddlebag, was there to greet Fluttershy.
“Hello Twilight! What brings you here today?” greeted the pegasus to her bookworm of a friend.
“Hi Fluttershy!” opened Twilight Sparkle cheerily. “I’m actually here on Spike’s behalf.”
“Oh? What does Spike need?”
“You remember when a few of us followed Spike in the dragon migration?” the unicorn mare answered with a question.
“I sure do,” replied Fluttershy.
“Well, Spike picked up a new…helper for the library.”
“A new helper?” asked Fluttershy.
At that moment a tiny head popped out of Twilight’s saddlebag. It was cute and full of flaming orange feathers.
“Is that a…phoenix?” Fluttershy was slightly taken aback.
“Fluttershy, meet Peewee,” stated Twilight.
(Insert Theme Music Here)
* * * * * * * * *
“Hello Peewee.” Fluttershy quickly bolted over to the saddlebag which held the small creature.
“So, the reason I brought him to you is because we think that he’s sick,” Twilight attempted to speak to her now excited friend. The unicorn twisted her body around in an attempt to make eye contact with Fluttershy, but the pegasus stayed glued to Peewee the whole time.
“What’s wrong with the little guy?” asked Fluttershy with genuine concern, but still never taking her eyes off of the phoenix.
“That’s just the thing,” Twilight finally stopped twisting around and raised her hooves onto Fluttershy and pulled her yellow friend back into a face to face meeting, “we don’t know what’s wrong.”
“Is he molting?” asked Fluttershy.
“No, Spike and I checked for that. After dealing with Princess Celestia’s pet phoenix, Philomena, we knew what to look for. The thing is, Peewee here hasn’t shown any signs of molting and then rebirthing.”
“Then how do you know that he’s sick?”
“Watch,” responded Twilight.
The purple mare turned her head toward the cute little phoenix in her pack and said, “Can you fly Peewee?”
The baby phoenix flapped his wings excitedly and hopped onto Twilight’s back. He nudged the unicorn’s neck lovingly and then flapped with all his might into the air. The phoenix had no sooner reached a few feet into the sky than his head literally caught on fire with a bright burst of light. The poor creature’s eyes went wide in terror and he raised his wings to put the small flame out. This of course made Peewee stop flying and start falling. The baby didn’t realize that he was falling, however, and, as he attempted to snuff out the flame, Peewee went into a nose dive and collided with the ground. The fire went out instantly and little Peewee hopped up to his feet like nothing had happened.
“You see?” asked Twilight as she gently picked up the bird and placed him back in her saddlebag.
“Oh my!” responded Fluttershy. “But what do you want me to do about it?”
“Something! Anything! I just can’t stand to see him burning like that whenever he tries to fly. Well…that and he singed one of my books,” Twilight finished with a slight mumble.
“What about the Princess? I’m sure she could help you,” advised Fluttershy.
“I already tried to contact Princess Celestia, but she’s been too busy to answer me recently and so I came to you until she can write me back.”
“I…I don’t know Twilight,” murmured Fluttershy dejectedly.
“What? But you love animals Fluttershy!” Twilight was taken aback.
“Yes, but after the incident with Philomena I tried to find some kind of book on phoenix care, but I couldn’t find anything. I don’t know if there’s much I could really do to help.”
“It doesn’t matter if you know anything about phoenixes! You’re Fluttershy and you’re amazing with any and every creature, big or small. I would personally feel better if you were watching little Peewee here and I’m certain that Spike would too,” responded Twilight.
Fluttershy looked into Twilight’s pleading eyes and then at the cute face of Peewee who was giving his best smile at the shy pegasus.
“Oh…of course I’ll try to help Twilight. I can’t say ‘no’ to anypony that needs me.”
“Thank you so much Fluttershy.”
“No problem at all.”
The yellow equine with a flowing pink mane and tail gingerly accepted the saddlebag and its cute, precious cargo into her caring hooves.
“As soon as Princess Celestia gets back to me, you’ll be the first to know,” stated Twilight before she took off.
“Bye Twilight!” Fluttershy waved one of her front hooves as her friend trotted back into town. The pegasus then turned her attention to the little bundle in her other hoof. “Now, I’m going to get you in bed right away and we’ll see just what’s wrong with you.”
Fluttershy calmly walked over to a small, soft bed and laid the baby phoenix in it. Angel looked up from his meal and noticed the newcomer. The bunny hopped over to Fluttershy and pounded his right foot quickly into the floor. He looked at Fluttershy with hard set eyes.
“Oh, I know that this is your favorite bed Angel, but little Peewee here needs it for a little while, ok?” asked Fluttershy kindly.
Angel simply kept staring and pounding his foot for a few moments before finally relenting and hopping back over to finish his salad.
Fluttershy carefully put the saddlebag onto the bed and then urged Peewee to come out. The baby phoenix complied and left the comfort of the bag to stand on the squishy bed. He turned around and gazed sweetly at Fluttershy with his cute little eyes.
“Aren’t you just the cutest little thing,” cooed the pegasus.
Angel’s ears perked up and he stopped eating. Fluttershy grabbed the bag and placed it under Peewee’s new bed.
“Now let’s see if I can figure out what’s wrong with you,” Fluttershy stated. “Could you lay down for a moment?” asked the pegasus while making a ‘sit’ motion.
Young Peewee responded and plopped down upon the bed and let out a small, contented chirp as his form squished into the soft mattress. Angel eyed the entire episode with a disapproving gaze from beneath his squinty eyes and floppy ears.
“I’m going to check your temperature first,” said Fluttershy sweetly. She grabbed a thermometer and put it in Peewee’s beak. It rose to a normal temperature and then stayed put.
“Hmm…well your temperature is fine. Can I look at your feathers?”
Peewee chirped happily and scuttled over to Fluttershy only to trip on the bed’s sheets and plop beak-first into the mattress.
“Oh my!” Fluttershy carefully lifted the phoenix up and took him in her caring hooves. She ruffled through his tiny, orange feathers. Peewee snuggled closely against Fluttershy’s neck.
“Twilight’s right, you’re not molting. Your feathers are tight and secure. Hmm…what could be wrong?”
By this point, Angel had lost all thought of his colorful salad and was watching young Peewee with a disapproving glare. The little bunny’s arms were folded and his foot was thumping the ground.
“Maybe you just need some rest?” offered Fluttershy. She began to set the little phoenix back into the bed when Angel suddenly leaped onto the soft mattress.
“Angel bunny, I need you to move so our guest can get some sleep,” stated the yellow mare.
Angel crossed his arms and sat down, his cute ears flopping into his eyes. Fluttershy ignored the temper tantrum and gently placed Peewee next to Angel on the bed.
“Now come here Angel, you’ve hardly touched your salad.” Fluttershy reached her hooves toward the white fuzzball.
Instead of complying, the bunny jumped away from Fluttershy and punted young Peewee off of the bed and into the air. The phoenix chirped in shock and began to flap his wings to right himself. As Peewee flapped, his head once again lit on fire and he began to flap even harder. Peewee flapped all around the bed with Fluttershy attempting to catch the scared, flaming baby. Angel watched the fiery phoenix buzz around his head until the bunny had turned around so much that he fell onto his own face. Then, Peewee lost control of himself and began another nose dive. The phoenix plowed straight for the bed and collided with the soft, furry rabbit. The fire went out almost immediately but Angel leaped from underneath the orange feathered bird and off of the bed with a smoking cotton ball of a tail. Angel ran off and dunked his rump in a bucket full of clean water.
“Oh Peewee! I’m so, so sorry. Here let me tuck you in. Now try to get some rest ok?” Fluttershy tucked the little bird beneath the clean, but now ruffled sheets, and the phoenix yawned in contentment and closed his cute eyes. Then Fluttershy turned her attention toward Angel. The little bunny was still soaking his rump in the bucket and had his eyes closed in relief.
“Angel!” The fluffball opened his eyes to find Fluttershy standing in his face. “That was uncalled for. Peewee here is our guest and he needs my help. I know that you like that bed, but sometimes we have to give up what’s nice and comfy for us so that we can help others. Is that clear?”
Angel nodded his head vigorously and his ears popped straight up. His eyes shimmered with the message of, ‘I’m sorry’.
“Good, now I’m going into town to grab some medicine that might help Peewee. Please, don’t bother him while he’s sleeping. I’ll be back soon.”
With that, Fluttershy took her leave into town and left Angel all alone with the sweetly snoring Peewee. Angel’s ears flopped back down to their original position and his face turned back to one of contempt. He hopped out of the water and went outside to dry off.
* * * * * * * * *
Angel had finished drying off and he reentered the cottage. Peewee was now awake. The little phoenix was hopping around Angel’s practically untouched salad and was eyeing it hungrily. Angel’s eyes became slits and the bunny bolted toward his food. He jumped in Peewee’s way and shoved the salad bowl behind himself so the baby phoenix couldn’t reach it. The two moved back and forth around the bowl of greens, Angel always standing in Peewee’s way.
Peewee chirped and pointed at the salad behind the white bunny. Angel crossed his arms and turned from the phoenix with a snooty look on his face. The bunny was now gazing at the salad and almost bit into it, when he stopped. Angel looked over the salad and then hopped away for only a moment to grab a cookbook. Peewee watched the rabbit with childlike curiosity. Angel came back with the book and flipped through the pages until it landed on the correct one. On the page was a picture of the salad Angel was to be enjoying.
The bunny’s head moved back and forth between the salad and the picture. Suddenly Angel’s eyes went wide as he pointed at a vegetable in the picture. A carrot was missing from the salad. An entire carrot!
The fluffy little creature huffed out of the cottage once more, heading toward the garden. Peewee tilted his head for a moment before flapping his wings and then wobbling off after the strange bunny.
* * * * * * * * *
Angel stood before a small garden full of green sprouts. A label placed in the ground stated them to be carrots. The bunny hopped up to a sprout that looked particularly juicy and began to tug with all his might. He gripped it between his tiny paws and yanked and yanked. He pounded with his feet and leaped into the air, but the carrot was stuck soundly in the ground. He jumped and jumped, but the carrot wouldn’t budge an inch. Angel finally stopped trying and stepped away to catch his breath.
Peewee watched the whole escapade and then hopped over to the buried carrot. Angel looked at Peewee questioningly. The phoenix looked Angel in the face and chirped in a questioning tone. Peewee pointed at himself and then at the carrot top. Angel nodded his head and waved one of his tired paws, giving permission for the phoenix to pull the carrot.
Peewee stepped up to take his turn. He flapped into the sky and gripped the sprout between his talons. The orange phoenix tugged and yanked with all of his might until his head once again lit on fire and he fell back to the ground, unsuccessful.
Angel looked back at the carrot with determination. He spat on his paws and then stepped back up to yank on the carrot. Before the white fluffball could begin, however, Peewee chirped multiple times and the bunny turned his head toward the young bird. Peewee kept chirping as he pointed a wing back and forth at himself and Angel and then to the carrot. Angel nodded in agreement and both creatures took their positions around the carrot sprout.
The two began to yank and pull, Peewee from the air and Angel pulling from the ground. Slowly, ever so slowly, the carrot gave way until it popped from the ground and landed flat on the hard earth. Peewee landed beside Angel and the two looked at each other and nodded their heads in victory.
Angel brought the fresh carrot back into the cottage and situated it perfectly on the salad. The bunny was about to dig in when a chirp from behind yet again interrupted him. Peewee was looking at the salad and rubbed his belly and licked his beak. Angel looked at Peewee and then at his salad, then at Peewee and then back to his salad. His face displayed an internal, emotional conflict. To share, or not to share? That was the question.
Finally, Angel stepped aside for Peewee. The bunny bowed his head and motioned with his paws for the baby phoenix to enjoy the salad with him. The two took their places around the bowl full of delicious greens and began to chow down.
* * * * * * * * *
“Angel! I’m back!” Fluttershy called as the door to the cottage opened with a small creak.
The pegasus looked around the room and her eyes landed upon a salad bowl, almost empty, with two small creatures patting full bellies and resting contentedly.
“Angel, did you share your salad?” asked Fluttershy in shock. “But you never share your salad.”
Angel hopped to his feet, as did Peewee, and the two came over to Fluttershy. Angel was wearing a big grin on his cute face and so was Peewee.
“Well I’m glad to see that you two are getting along so well. And I’m very impressed with you Angel, sharing your salad was very big of you.” Fluttershy looked kindly into the little rabbit’s eyes.
“Oh! Peewee, I went into town and got you some medicine.” She pulled it out and showed the small vial to the baby phoenix. “Now open wide.”
A knock came at the door before Fluttershy could give the medicine to her charge.
“Just one moment!” chirped Fluttershy. The pegasus trotted over and opened her quaint wooden door. Standing before the shy yellow pegasus was a majestic white mare with an ethereal mane and tail. It could be none other than the illustrious Princess Celestia herself.
“Oh my! Princess Celestia. What an unexpected honor,” stammered Fluttershy. She moved aside to allow the Princess into her humble home.
The Princess’ kind eyes gazed around the room until they met the baby phoenix on the floor, next to a cute fuzzball.
“You must be Peewee,” stated the Princess as she gazed at the orange feathered bird. “Come here little one,” encouraged Celestia.
Peewee waddled cutely over to the ruler of all Equestria until the Princess held him caringly in her hoof.
“Fluttershy,” stated Celestia.
“Yes?” asked the pegasus.
“Thank you for watching after little Peewee here, but he’s not sick.”
“He’s not?” Fluttershy was confused.
“No, all phoenixes go through a phase like this. You see, when a phoenix is first hatched, their body is not used to their own natural magic. Peewee here will be just fine as soon as his body gets used to it. Now, let me warn you, this same kind of thing will happen once more, just before he reaches full maturity.”
“Thank you for telling me Princess,” said Fluttershy. “I guess this means that I can give him back to Twilight now?”
“Yes, that’s right…oh? What’s this?” Celestia looked down at her hooves and found a small bunny tugging on them sweetly. “Yes?” she asked kindly.
Angel scribbled his paw through the air, like he was writing a letter.
“What is it Angel? What are you trying to say?” asked Fluttershy.
Angel slapped his paw into his face and then slowly dragged it down. Then, his eyes went wide and he lifted his paw into the air like one who had just gotten an idea. The bunny hopped off, but soon returned with a piece of paper in one paw and a quill in another. He scribbled with the dry quill across the parchment and then looked at Celestia.
“You want to write me a letter?” asked the Princess.
Angel nodded his head ‘yes’.
“Oh Angel! You want to give Princess Celestia a friendship report?” asked Fluttershy.
Again with the head nod.
“Well, I’ve never received a report from a bunny before. Go ahead.”
“Princess, I think I know what he wants to say,” stated Fluttershy. “May I?” she asked Angel. The bunny nodded and motioned with his paws encouragingly.
“Princess Celestia, today Angel learned about giving to those who need help. Sometimes we need to give of what we have to those who need it. In fact, that’s what kindness is all about, giving of our time, talents, and resources to help those that can’t help themselves. Is…is that right Angel?”
The cute fuzzball nodded and grinned widely.
“Well, thank you Angel,” stated the Princess. “That is an excellent lesson to learn. Would you like to accompany me and Fluttershy as we return Peewee?”
Angel jumped at the chance and followed the two. He hopped out the door and he and Peewee rode together down to the library, Angel on Fluttershy’s back and Peewee on Celestia’s.
