The Angel With No Friends.
A cold breeze drifted through the foreboding woods of the Everfree Forest, the fallen leaves and dead plants dragged across the ground with the air pushing them. It would be another cold night in the Everfree Forest. To some creatures, the Everfree was the embodiment of hell, filled with demonic beasts that killed for fun rather than for survival. But for others, it was their home. It was was the only place they had known in their relatively short lives. Despite the dark shadows, living nightmares, and unspeakable monsters that roamed the forest, many animals stayed. Where else could they go?
A single rabbit with fur the color of perfect snow dashed from a bush and towards a small hole in the ground at the base of a withering tree. The lone creature jumped into the opening without fear or caution and landed on a soft bed of grass three feet below the hole.
The little burrow was the creature’s safe haven, the one place he was guaranteed to get a good night’s sleep in the dangerous forest. He had built the little burrow about a year or two prior after the incident happened.
The little bunny in question was named Angel bunny. His mother had called him that because his white fur was as bright as the wings of angels, though he always believed it was because he was marked for death since birth. Being a bright white rabbit in a dark forest made him stick out more than a sore thumb. His “family” had abandoned him at a young age in order to escape a pack of Timberwolves. Angel bunny survived the ordeal and attempted to join his family once again, only for his brothers and sisters to attack him on sight, proving that his family had completely disowned him.
But it was alright, he didn’t need them. He didn’t need anybody but he, himself, and him alone.
Alone… He liked being alone. Being alone meant he was safe. Being alone meant other were safe, safer than Jimmy was. Poor, stupid, naive Jimmy the squirrel. He was too good for the forest, he was too good for Angel bunny. The dark brown squirrel was the only friend Angel had after being abandoned, and his friend paid dearly for it. If he wasn't his friend then he would have still been alive.
On that terrible day so long ago when they were found by a Manticore. Jimmy was only noticed because he was near Angel bunny, he only died because he foolishly went back for the rabbit when he tripped, Jimmy only died because his heart was too big. Because of friendship.
Angel despised that word, it was a word for weakness. Only weak creatures got friendship, and he wasn’t weak. Several creatures tried to be his friend, but he made sure to teach them a lesson they wouldn’t forget. After a verbal lashing and several well placed kicks, the smaller animals of the forest learned that Angel bunny was no one to be pitied. He didn’t need their pity, their friendship, or anything. Once upon a time he craved friendship, he wanted it more than even food or water. Angel bunny was a moron back then, but he knew better now. Now he was older, wiser, and stronger because he was alone. And he was happy with that. Yes, he was happy being alone….
Crickets chirped all throughout the night as Angel bunny tried to sleep. Their annoying music kept him up, causing him to nearly tear his own ears off so the cacophony of noise would cease forever. It almost amazed Angel bunny that they weren’t already dead, it was as if they were begging for predators to attack them.
The infernal chirping continued for nearly hours on end until, finally, it stopped suddenly. Peaceful silence filled the forest air, and Angel bunny’s heart sank. Total silence was never a good thing in the forest. Silence was a signal, a song of death sung by the souls of animals slaughtered in the woods by predators, a scream from a spirit that was dragged away from it’s mortal coil, a sound so loud that no noise could possibly describe the dread of silence itself.
Angel bunny waited for a few tense moments for something to shatter the silence, something to break it and confirm his fears. Seconds turned into long minutes that dragged on. After a while, something killed the silence that had built up: a single twig snap.
Angel bunny felt his body tense up as shallow breaths filled the air, accompanied by the unmistakable smell of blood that became stronger with each breath, the sign of a fresh kill. But from the ragged breathing, Angel bunny could tell that the beast wasn’t ready to finish it’s hunt quite yet.
The little rabbit's heart raced rapidly as the snarl of a Timberwolf cut through the air like a Manticore’s sharp tail. Angel bunny swallowed thickly as the sound of the dangerous beast drew nearer with each passing second. But he was fine, he was in his little burrow under the tree, he would be…
... He’d be dead.
When the noises cut off abruptly, the white rabbit knew something was about to happen. As if the universe was toying with him, the sound of crickets chirping slowly started to build up again, as if signaling the beast’s departure. Angel bunny stayed curled up in a ball near the far end of his burrow as peaceful noises filled the air, until all of those lovely sounds were broken by a rabid Timberwolf shoving their head through the hole of the burrow.
The sadistic monster’s head thrashed about as it barked in wicked glee at it’s success, it’s massive jaws snaping aimlessly with each erratic jerk of it’s head. Angel bunny could only let loose a horrified scream as he pressed himself against the wall, which only seemed to entice the creature as it started to bark and growl louder. Saliva and blood from the beast’s previous kill coated the walls of Angel bunny’s home, painting them in a shades of dark red and luminescent green.
Angel bunny whimpered silently as the wild beast continued it's assault as it made some quiet literal headway into his little burrow. Seconds grew into agonizing minutes while Angel bunny clawed at the wall behind him, hoping to make a tunnel to escape the death trap, but the dirt behind his paws wouldn't budge. Years of being compacted by the weight of the tree made the wall as hard as stone, his delicate paws had no chance of digging through the hardened earth.
The defenseless animal had no choice but to accept his fate and close his eyes tightly. Memories of his family, Jimmy the squirrel... the pretty juicy carrot he had for lunch yesterday. Those were all of the pleasant memories he had in his short life. A little disappointing in retrospect, but at least his relatively short life could flash before his eyes a few dozen times when the inevitable jaws of death clenched around his tiny and frail neck.
Angel bunny instinctively flinched as a loud crack and a whimper suddenly brought an end to the chaotic horror, like a candle being blown out by a gust of wind, an abrupt end to a horrifying scene. As the sound of crickets chirping slowly filled the gaps of silence that hung in the air, Angel bunny hesitantly opened up an eye to see if his head was still attached to his body. Once Angel Bunny opened one eye, the other eye opened instantly as if to confirm what laid before him.
The severed head of a Timberwolf sat on the ground of Angel bunny's home. The eerie green glow of the monster's eyes faded into the darkness of it's wooden shell as whatever disturbing magic allowed it to live dissipated into the air.
Angel bunny stood in awe at the creature's severed head as a pool of its green drool slipped through it's motionless jaws. If it weren't for the horrific smell that filled Angel bunny's home, he may have stared at the remains of the monster all night. As Angel bunny covered his nose with a paw he slowly went around the severed head, fearful that it would sprout back to life in an instant and kill him. Rationally speaking, Angel bunny knew that wouldn't happen, but rational thoughts weren't running through his mind as quickly as the panic and horrified thoughts of a near death experience. As he walked past the large skull of the Timberwolf, Angel bunny stupidly stepped on a shard of wood that was dislodged from the beast's head. Angel bunny wanted to scream in pain at the large splinter that lodged itself into his foot, but he knew the cries of a prey would only entice whatever predator had killed the Timberwolf.
The little white bunny slowly crawled through the now larger entrance of his home and almost instinctively retreated back inside when he saw a towering mound of brown fur a few feet away from him. Perched atop the remains of the once terrifying monster was a massive brown bear that was making a meal out a beehive on the Timberwolf's back. Angel bunny felt a little better knowing that the bear attacked the Timberwolf because of the beehive, that meant it would be more content eating the honey that was inside of that rather than the organs and entrails that lined Angel bunny's insides.
A relieved sigh escaped Angel bunny as a thankful smile graced his lips, he'd be able to go back to living alone without a care in the world once again after he dislodged the Timberwolf head from his cavern.
A deep scowl dominated Angel bunny's features as he was carried by a large set of bear paws. As it turned out, the giant bear, who Angel bunny found out was named Harry, apparently heard the little noise Angle bunny made when he got out of his hole. And instead of eating the small rabbit or roaring at him loudly, the bear surprisingly grabbed Angel bunny and walked away from the corpse of the dead Timberwolf, completely ignoring the large surplus of honey still oozing out of the partial beehive that was attached to the creature's back as he tended to the little rabbit.
Harry just wouldn't shut up about the splinter in Angel bunny's foot and kept wasting time asking him if he was okay and saying he was sorry he didn't get there sooner. Angel bunny told Harry the bear that he was fine and was thankful that he killed the Timberwolf, and tried his best to "politely" decline any more help, but the bear wouldn't hear a word of it. When verbal threats and insults didn't work, Angel bunny tried to squirm out of the bear's tight yet delicate grip, to no avail. It seemed that Harry was hell bent on taking Angel bunny somewhere to get his foot treated.
Angel bunny didn't know why the bear cared so much, he was just a little white rabbit. Why would an apex predator like Harry be so nice to him, why did Harry care, why did Harry act so much like... Like Jimmy.
That thought created a sick feeling in the pit of Angel's stomach. He didn't need another animal's friendship or pity, he didn't want it.
Angel Bunny redoubled his efforts to escape Harry's paws by hurling a series of verbal lashings at the large bear that ranged from threats to insults of Harry's body and intelligence. Each of Angel bunny's words were laced with enough venom to make an Alpha Manticore cry in painful misery, and yet not a single tear fell from Harry's eyes. In fact, Angel Bunny's words only seemed to motivate the dumb animal to speed up to whatever animal he was taking him to, some strange animal called Fluttershy or something stupid like that.
Despite the nearly nonexistent reaction from Harry, Angel bunny continued his assault on the bear's ears with profanity even demons wouldn't use. Angel Bunny screamed insults at Harry until his throat was sore, and even then he didn't stop. It started to hurt Angel bunny, both physically and mentally. Why couldn't this bear hate him? Why did Harry want to help him? Why didn't he just leave Angel bunny? Why!?
Angel Bunny panted heavily as he tried to fill his now empty lungs before he finally passed out from his own screams. His last few seconds of conscious thought were spent pleading with Harry to just leave him alone.
Angel bunny didn't know how long he was unconscious for or how far Harry had taken him from his home and he hardly cared that much when he woke up as other thoughts preoccupied his mind. Firstly, he noticed that he was lying on a comfortable surface when he woke up, it felt softer than any fur or grass Angel bunny ever felt in his life. The second thing he noticed was that that the small pain Angel bunny felt in his foot was finally gone. He failed to realize how much it hurt when he was screaming at Harry, and now that it was finally gone he could feel an wave of immense relief wash over him.
As Angel bunny looked around he realized that he was inside of something he had only heard about in stories his mother told him. It was a mythical place where the temperature was always right and the sun could be blocked with sheets of fabric. Angel bunny was inside of a house, and a relatively new one at that. Stacks of boxes that reached up to the ceiling lined the walls of the small house, each one filled with various pillows, blankets, and a large variety of animal food. New and empty wooden birdhouses hung from the ceiling like acorns on a branch, each one covered in fresh paint with a tiny gift basket of seeds at each birdhouse opening.
Angel Bunny wasn't sure what to make of his new and odd surroundings, and looked around for Harry or some other animal to tell him where he was. But, all thoughts of asking questions escaped his mind when he saw a red door that was slightly ajar. Angel Bunny could clearly see rays of moonlight slipping through the cracks of the large door, signifying a possible escape for Angel bunny to take.
He wasted little time hoping off of the green couch he was laid on and scampered to the door in an instant, using his built up momentum to push the door open and get outside. The moon with the strange silhouette of a pony's head hung in the air at it's apex point, signifying that the night was almost at an end.
Angel bunny started to hop away from the large building and towards the treelike of the Everfree forest before an odd sight caught his attention.
Near a relatively small bridge that stood over a small river sat Harry the bear and a yellow pegasus mare with an outlandishly bright pink mane. Angel bunny almost questioned how such a brightly colored creature could have survived in the wilderness but stopped those thoughts as he heard her give Harry words of soothing encouragement.
Angel bunny nearly leapt out of his fur as he heard the butter colored pegasus talk. He was no stranger to hearing animals talk, after all, he could talk to. But the way the pony talked was... different. Unnatural even, as if her voice broke some unfathomable rule of the universe.
The strange creature's "voice" distracted Angel bunny long enough for Harry to notice him and, in turn, nudge the strange pony so she could notice Angel too. As Angel bunny's eyes locked with the odd pony, he felt an almost terrifying familiarity in those sky blue eyes.
"Oh my! You finally woke up, I'm so glad you're okay now." The pegasus exclaimed in an excited whisper as she clapped her hooves together. When she took a tentative step forward, Angel bunny crouched to the ground on instinct, ready to run as fast as he could from the odd pony.
"O-oh my, where are my manners? I'm sorry. My name's Fluttershy, what's yours?" The pony asked Angel bunny. He decided not to acknowledge the pony and instead turned around and pranced away.
"W-wait, don't be afraid little friend, I won't hurt you." Fluttershy said in a reassuring and sooth voice that, despite Angel bunny's better judgment, actually caused him to stop.
She really wanted to be his friend? Really? Why would she... No, no she didn't want a "friend", she wanted a cute pet. No one wanted to be his friend, he knew that and he was happy with that.
Angel bunny glared at the yellow pegasus with hate filled eyes as he growled angrily at her.
"Oh. I'm sorry, was it something I said?" She asked stupidly. Angel bunny only growled back at her in response causing her to look at him with a sympathetic stare.
He hated that look in her eyes, that pity that made him want to prove to her and every other creature that he didn't need it. He didn't need their pity, their friendship, or their help! Angel bunny glared at her silently with seething anger that threatened to boil over into a full blown rage. Their stare off continued for a minute before Harry gently nuzzled the pony, causing her to sigh sadly.
"Alright. I understand. Well, Mr. Bunny, if you ever want a nice place to rest, just let me know, okay?" She offered gently as she and Harry went back to her cottage. Harry threw a hopeful look over his shoulder at Angel Bunny before he followed the pony, as if he was sending a silent plea for Angel to join them.
Angel bunny silently watched the duo retreat into the warm cottage, a lit candle in the window flicking out for the night as Fluttershy and Harry slept safely in their new abode. Angel bunny turned back to the ominous forest behind him, a clear line between the edge of the forest and the safety of society was drawn in the dirt a few feet away from him. Angel Bunny looked back at the inviting cottage again before he made his final decision. He knew he couldn't do it, that he wouldn't do it.
Angel bunny would never accept friendship…
....
But... but maybe he would accept a handout. ONLY FOR A WHILE THOUGH!
It wasn’t like he’d stay with Harry and the pony forever, no way in hell that would happen. Angel bunny would never accept or even try to reciprocate their friendship. He'd just stay the night and that would be the end of that, and nothing would change his mind.
Angel bunny hopped towards the door of the cottage with his plan set in motion. He'd stay the night and ONLY the night before he would leave first thing in the morning. After he pushed the doors with his small paws and went back to the large couch at the other side of the room and reclaimed the leftmost couch cushion. As Angel bunny closed his eyes and nuzzled deeper into the groove of the couch cushion, he failed to notice the pegasus mare looking at him from over the railing of her banister, a warm smile on her face as she gazed at his sleeping form.
As Angel bunny finally settled in for the night, the pegasus turned and trotted to her room as she started her plan to make friends with any and all of the woodland critters that would need it, even if they wouldn't admit it.
"Goodnight Mr. Bunny, sweet dreams..." Fluttershy said as she nestled into her own bed for the night.
