Starburst in Wonderland

Starburst flew above the trees looking in all directions and calling out to Nightlight. “Lucky Star is a Dodo bird plus Prism and Icy are these clowns?” Starburst thought out loud. “I know adults have their moods, but Mr. Discord is way past the age to have a midlife crisis. Seriously, when the heck is he gonna grow up? Maybe this was some crazy idea Mom, Princess Celestia and all of our moms came up with to punish all of us for something. Why Nightlight though? He’s more of a goody four hooves than Echo and Mrs. Fluttershy.” As Starburst looked aimlessly among the trees she perked up when her ears picked up the familiar voice of a young colt. “Oh, my ears and whiskers!” said the distant voice. “I’ll be late for sure!” Starburst screwed her eyes and barely made out a figure hopping across the forest floor near a clearing. Starburst zoomed towards the figure and landed in front of the purple rabbit that was none other than her little brother. “There you are!” said Starburst with a mixture of relief and annoyance. “Do you know how much trouble I went through trying to…”

“Mary Ann, what’re you doing out here?” said Nightlight/Rabbit cutting off Starburst. “You’re supposed to be attending to my house!”

“Attending to your house?” said Starburst with a baffled expression. “You’re too young to have your own house. Now come on. We’re going home!”

“Why are you lingering out here, Mary Ann?” scolded Nightlight/Rabbit. “You have to help me get ready to meet The Duchess.”

“Mary Ann? I’m not Mary Ann. I’m Starburst, your sister!”

“Come on, Mary Ann. I can’t keep The Duchess waiting.”

Nightlight/Rabbit grabbed Starburst by one front hoof and hurried across the clearing with a confused Starburst in tow. “Where are we going?” demanded Starburst as she struggled to keep up with Nightlight/Rabbit’s pace. “And why the heck to do you keep calling me Mary Ann?” They both arrived at a cosy looking house that had a rather affluent flair to it. On the doorframe was gold plate with the words “M.RABBIT” engraved on it. “M. RABBIT”?” said Starburst in confusion as she read the engraving.

“What are you waiting for, Mary Ann?” snapped Nightlight/Rabbit. “You have to get my gloves and fan! They’re upstairs! I can’t meet The Duchess looking a mess!”

“You can’t boss me around,” said Starburst glaring at Nightlight/Rabbit. “I’m older than you!”

“Quit, jabbering, Mary Ann!” scolded Nightlight/Rabbit. “If I’m late The Duchess will report me to The Queen of Hearts and The Queen of Hearts will have my head.”

Starburst perked up at the mention of the same queen that Prism/Tweedle Dee and Icy/Tweedle Dum mentioned in the forest. “The Queen of Hearts?” said Starburst.

“Go, Mary Ann!” scolded Nightlight/Rabbit as he nudged her through the door.

“Fine!” growled Starburst as she stomped into the house. “The only reason I’m not gonna deck you is because I went through enough trouble trying to find you. As soon as I find these gloves and this fan, we’re going straight home!” Starburst looked around the living room finding herself in awe at the luxurious furniture and other items. She then started smacking her dry lips. “Ever since I came here I didn’t drink any water, especially after swimming in that ocean,” she thought out loud. “Nightlight should have a kitchen somewhere.” Sure enough, the young princess found a kitchen with a refrigerator at its corner. She opened the refrigerator finding a wide variety of foods fit for a rabbit’s diet which included vegetables. There were even some treats like cakes and sweet dairy products. In the refrigerator door Starburst found a tall glass bottle which she assumed was clean, fresh water. She opened the cap, put the bottle to her lips and indeed it tasted like ordinary water. She drank until the bottle was empty and placed the bottle on a nearby counter. She then made her way towards a staircase and at the top of the staircase was a white door. She flapped her wings and hovered towards the top of the staircase. Unbeknownst to Starburst she slowly started to grow in size. When she walked through the door she grew past the doorframe. Her eyes fell on a small desk where she found a pair of white kid gloves and a rather large black fan. “There they are,” she said. Before she could reach for them she realized to her horror that she was growing even larger to the point where her head was slowly reaching for the ceiling. “Oh, bucking Tartarus!” she exclaimed. “Not again!” She crouched down so that her head would not crash through the ceiling. However, despite her efforts to make herself smaller she was growing larger and larger. She reached for a nearby opened window and put her front hoof through until it grew large enough for it to touch the ground outside. As she continued to expand in size she heard the small patter of footsteps up the staircase outside. “Mary Ann!” called the familiar voice of Nightlight/Rabbit. “What’s taking so long? Did you find my gloves and fan?” At the corner of her eye she could see Nightlight/Rabbit entering the room through the opened door. As he entered her ever growing hind hoof pushed him outside down the staircase and through the front door. Nightlight/Rabbit tumbled across the ground outside and he looked up to find Starburst over several feet tall with her limbs sticking out in two places. “Nightlight, help me!” cried Starburst in a panicked voice. By now Starburst stopped growing and shifted uncomfortably in the cramped room. “A monster!” cried Nightlight/Rabbit running around like a headless chicken. “Help! A monster’s in my house!”

As Nightlight/Rabbit ran around screaming hysterically, Starburst tried to shift around in the room in an effort to make herself more comfortable but this proved futile. It certainly did not help that she already had larger than normal pegasus wings which made her predicament even more unbearable. “Starburst, you klutz!” she thought out loud. “Why did I have to drink so much of that? The last time I drank something it made me smaller but that stuff made me bigger. Why did I drink the whole thing?” She slowly started to sob and she could have sworn that she was starting to feel tears well in her eyes. “No, Starburst!” she suddenly said. “Crying won’t help! Come on, you’re a big girl! What kind of princess cries in the face of danger?” As she is thinking all this she could hear Nightlight/Rabbit continuing to scream hysterically while his feet pattered across the ground as he ran around the house. She moved closer towards another opened window and hissed in pain as her massive wings rubbed against the ceiling. She reached close enough to see Nightlight/Rabbit hopping around and screaming that there was a monster inside the house. Just then another creature walked into her line of vision and approached Nightlight/Rabbit. From what Starburst could tell, this creature was a lizard but its physical appearance differed from that of a normal lizard. Instead of the typical green skin this lizard had reddish looking skin and on top of his head was dark red hair. The sight of this lizard triggered something in Starburst’s mind. The lizard bore somewhat of a strong resemblance to a pegasus stallion that she met while hanging out with Anthea. This stallion grew up in the same orphanage Anthea grew up in and was currently living in Ponyville with two other friends that Anthea grew up with at the orphanage. This pegasus stallion’s name Hot Head. Despite the name Starburst found Hot Head to be a rather cool colt even if he may be a little rough around the edges. He was an extremely competitive flier which caused a rivalry with Prism Bolt who happened to be just as competitive. If this particular lizard was supposed to be Hot Head, Starburst was at a lost as to why he was now a lizard. What was even more peculiar was that the lizard version of Hot Head was carrying a ladder and a long broom. “Bill! Bill!” screamed Nightlight/Rabbit hysterically as the lizard version of Hot Head walked on his hind legs towards him. “You have to help me!”

“Bill?” Starburst thought in confusion.

“I’m right on time to clean your chimney, sir,” said Hot Head/Bill. He said it in the familiar voice that Starburst recognized as Hot Head.

“Bill, look!” shouted Nightlight/Rabbit. “What’s that sticking out of my window?”

“It looks like hoof!” said an astonished Hot Head/Bill.

“A hoof?” said a confused Nightlight/Rabbit. “Whoever saw a hoof that size?”

“Nightlight, Hot Head, help me!” shouted Starburst.

“Look!” said Hot Head/Bill seemingly ignoring Starburst. “There’s another hoof sticking through the front door.”

“Well those things have no business being in my house,” said an annoyed Nightlight/Rabbit. “Get rid of them!”

“Me?” said Hot Head/Bill looking at Nightlight/Rabbit with horror.

“Just go!” scolded Nightlight/Rabbit.

Hot Head/Bill let out a loud gulp and walked towards the house with his ladder in tow. He walked out of Starburst’s line of vision but Starburst could hear the clank of his wooden ladder against the house. Her ears then picked up the sound of Hot Head/Bill climbing up the ladder until he made it high enough for her to see him through the window. As Hot Head/Bill climbed near the window he peered in and saw the giant eyes of Starburst. “Hot Head, help me!” called out Starburst in desperation. Hot Head/Bill let out a panicked scream and lost his balance falling off the ladder. Momentarily, Starburst was worried that he might have hurt himself badly in such a fall. She then heard the pattering of running feet and the panicked screams of the familiar voice of Hot Head which gave her assurance that Hot Head was unscathed in his fall. “A monster!” screamed Hot Head/Bill. “There’s a monster in the house!”

“I know that,” responded Nightlight/Rabbit. “Get rid of it!”

“But that thing is huge!”

“Come on, you guys,” called out Starburst. “I’m not a monster! It’s me, Starburst!” Suddenly Starburst heard multiple footsteps outside the house. She shifted again towards the window where her left hoof was sticking out and winced as her massive wings rubbed against the ceiling again. Through that window she barely made out the sight of a crowd of animals varying in species gathering outside. “Mother, what’s that?” said a young voice.

“It’s a ginormous beast!” exclaimed a female voice. “Hide the children!”

“Oh, dear me!” said the voice of Nightlight/Rabbit. “I’ll be late! Bill, get rid of that monster this instant! I don’t want it in my house when I get back!” With those words Starburst heard the footsteps of her brother hopping away. “No, Nightlight!” Starburst called out. “Don’t leave me!”

“Yeah, Bill!” said the excited young female voice of one animal. “Slay the beast!”

“You’re already a top notch racer, Bill,” said a male voice. “You’ve beaten two rabbits in a lot of races. If you slay the monster you’ll be a legend!”

“Slay the monster! Slay the monster!” chanted a chorus of voices.

“Okay, here goes nothing,” said Hot Head/Bill in a shaky voice.

Starburst barely picked up the sounds of Hot Head/Bill climbing up the ladder. Through the opened window she saw him climb past the window and then heard footsteps along the roof. Starburst then heard movement in the chimney which was in the living room. “Is he seriously trying to climb down the chimney?” she thought. As Hot Head/Bill made his way down the chimney, clouds of ash and dust started to hover in the room through the opened door. Starburst took a whiff and after a few moments of trying to hold it in, she made a mighty sneeze. Hot Head/Bill screamed as the sneeze sent him flying up the chimney and into the air. “There goes Bill!” said the chorus of voices nonchalantly. Starburst’s heart skipped a beat as she heard Hot Head/Bill’s screams becoming distant as he flew up in the air and slowly growing louder as he fell back down. She then heard the ruffling of leaves outside the house and multiple footsteps running a few meters away. “Sweet Celestia!” Starburst thought as she broke into a cold sweat.

“Everyone, help Bill!” said a female voice.

“Hot Head, are you alright?” called out Starburst. “I’m so sorry! Please be okay!”

“Look, he’s coming to!” said a young male voice.

“Are you alright, Bill?” said an older male voice.

“I’ll tell you one thing, that’s no ordinary monster,” said Hot Head/Bill rather calmly much to Starburst’s relief as this assured her that he was not hurt. “I was on my way down the chimney and before I knew it I’m shooting straight into the sky like a rocket!”

“Well, what are you gonna do now?” said another female voice. “That monster’s taking up the whole house.”

“What the heck’s wrong with them?” thought Starburst. “Can’t they at least try to take the roof off? I’d be out of this house by now!”

“There’s only one way to get rid of that monster,” said Hot Head/Bill. “Burn the house down.”

“What?” said a baffled Starburst.

“Yeah, burn the house down!” said the chorus of voices.

“No, don’t do that!” called out Starburst. “I’m still in here!”

“Burn the house! Burn the house!” chanted some younger voices.

Starburst heard a single pair of footsteps pounding across the ground at high speed. She screwed her eyes as she looked out the window in front of her and saw Hot Head/Bill carrying what seemed to be dry branches and leaves. “He’s not kidding!” Starburst thought out loud. “He’s seriously gonna set the house on fire with me stuck inside!”

“Torch the house!” said a female voice. “Kill the monster!”

“Torch the house!” repeated a male voice. “Kill the monster!”

“Torch the house! Kill the monster!” chanted some young voices.

As the crowd of voices continued to chant the same words Starburst heard what sounded like matches being struck. Her nostrils then picked up the undeniable scent of smoke. “Hot Head, no!” screamed a panicky Starburst. “Please! Don’t set me on fire!”

“Torch the house! Kill the monster!” chanted the crowd seemingly oblivious to Starburst’s pleas. They then started to throw stones through the window at Starburst hitting her square in the face. “Hey, stop that!” shouted an angry Starburst.

“Torch the house! Kill the monster!” chanted the crowd as they continued to throw stones at her. While she was being struck by the stones she realized that they did not actually hurt. Once the stones fell to the floor Starburst noticed that they were turning into small sponge cakes. Her eyes widened when she came up with an idea. “If drinking water made me grow freakishly big,” she thought. “eating one of these cakes would make me turn back to normal size!” Starburst then turned her head to the direction of the crowd as they continued to chant their murderous decree and throw stones at her. Sure enough two stones flew straight at her turning into two delicious cakes the moment they landed in her giant mouth. She chewed them quickly and made a huge gulp. Soon Starburst began to gradually shrink giving her hooves and wings much needed relief. However, Starburst shrank down to almost the size of an ant. Despite this Starburst thought it was better than being unbearably big. She then zoomed out of the room and down the stairs making her way to the front door. She arrived outside and found Hot Head/Bill who was now a giant by comparison trying to start a fire with a pile of leaves and branches. To Starburst’s surprise the pile of branches and leaves was not being consumed by a large fire. Instead there were just small embers. Hot Head/Bill lit a match only succeeding in burning one single leaf that did not ignite a large fire. “Out of matches,” he grumbled. He then turned to the crowd who was throwing stones at the room where Starburst was stuck in and continuing to clamor for the monster’s death. “Does anyone know how to rub two sticks together?” he asked. Tiny Starburst felt a growing rage within her. She then flew up to Hot Head/Bill’s face and with one front hoof she punched him in the eye. Hot Head/Bill yelped in pain and held his right eye, yet he did not see Starburst who hovered in front of him. “That’s for trying to set me on fire!” she screamed. Hot Head/Bill did not seem to hear her. Instead he looked around aimlessly wondering what could have stung him in the eye. “As if I don’t have enough trouble with monsters,” he said nonchalantly. “Now I have to deal with bugs.”

Starburst groaned in frustration and flew away making her way into some nearby bushes.