- The next day -
Did Snappy think, even for a moment, that things couldn't possibly get THAT BAD following his royal slip-up taking down Mystery's wormhole machine? He felt like a fool for ever thinking such a thought.
At first, Toons who read The Toontown Times the next morning thought there had been a mistake. How could Snappy Bumblejinks suddenly be one of the most hated Toons in town? And then the story started to spread: THE Snappy Bumblejinks, sidekick to their legendary hero Dusty Bumblejinks, had blown it in front of not only his hero, but several other Toons as well, causing one of them to die, and everyone seemed to think he had done so on purpose, noting that he had ignored his brothers warnings multiple times, even though they weren't much of warnings to begin with. Some Toons had even said that he should be locked up for what they could only describe as "Cold-blooded murder".
And true to what the paper said, Snappy went from being one of the most beloved Toons in town to one of the most hated. Everyone was furious at him for causing what they all thought was a very avoidable death. All he had to do, in their opinion, was not activate the machine in the first place, try to use the controls to shut it down, and certainly not destroy it in front of innocents who had next to no protection from the flying debris! The prison cells bars had done nothing to stop the pieces of the machine from killing the yellow cat.
Dusty, of course, remained indifferent despite the situation. He only encouraged his brother to just "Try to move past it and keep going." But that wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do when everyone in Toontown hated your guts.
Of course, nobody blamed Dusty for anything that happened, which confused and frustrated him, and only made Snappy even more upset. Though Dusty had attempted to tell everyone that he should have kept a closer eye on Snappy, and that if he had planned out the mission better, this entire scenario could have been avoided, nobody was buying it for a minute, which only further aggravated Dusty.
"Some days, Snappy, I seriously hate being a hero." Dusty had told his little brother that morning, glaring at the newspaper and shaking his head in frustration, a hint of venom in his tone. "Everybody thinks you're godly perfection that can do no wrong, even when it comes to planning out infiltration missions in Bossbot Headquarters. If I'd spent more time on the plan, everything would have been fine! Am I the only one who understands that!?"
So now, little Snappy wandered through the streets a town fool. He had nobody but his siblings and their friend Melody to turn to, and he couldn't have felt emptier in his life. How in the name of Mike could he ever make up for this latest blunder?
He heard footsteps nearby and looked over to see the Hucklebee twins, Penny and Penelope, hurrying across the street to a nearby ice cream shop. One of them paused and pointed at Snappy, causing the other to look over, let out a loud gasp, and then hurry into the shop without a second look. The first sister watched her go, looked back at Snappy with a confused look on her face, and then entered the shop herself.
He couldn't tell which one was who because of how identical they looked. Both were tall ToonFest Blue cats who wore purple dresses they had gotten on Halloween. But Snappy was sure of one thing: They were probably making fun of him inside that shop. They were always known as the queens of gossip around Toontown.
Snappy just sighed, buried his hands in the pockets of his Cog-Buster suit, and went on his way down the street. He passed a couple of Toons who were busy taking down a level nine Spin Doctor. They stopped their battle to laugh at him as he passed. The Spin Doctor just looked confused.
Just as Snappy was rounding the corner to go back to the playground of The Brrrgh, Dusty ran out through the tunnel. Snappy watched as he quickly scanned the street, and upon seeing Snappy, ran up to him quickly.
"Hey, Snap. How you doing?" He asked upon reaching his little brother, who just sighed sadly.
"Could be better." The younger Bumblejinks grumbled.
Dusty quirked an eyebrow at him.
"What's the matter?" Dusty asked him, kneeling down to his level. Snappy just crossed his arms and let out a frustrated huff.
"Everything. Toons run away from me when I'm just walking down the street, others laugh at me as I pass, even the Cogs look at me with a confused look in their eyes, as if they don't understand why everyone hates me so much." Snappy complained a look of contempt in his eyes. He really wished everyone would just forget about his big mistake and move on.
Dusty gave him a disappointed look. He put a hand on Snappy's shoulder and turned him around to face him.
"Come on, Snappy. So the towns a little angry at you over a little mishap. Big deal! I messed up a couple of times when I was your age, too, but you wouldn't have seen me sitting around moping." Dusty told him, in a very "Wise" tone.
Snappy gave him a wounded look.
"You never made the entire town mad at you over accidently killing another Toon, though, did you?" He asked miserably.
Dusty just looked down, letting go of Snappy.
"I guess not." He said in a hushed tone. He then looked back up at Snappy. "But hey, at least Toons aren't throwing things at you-"
He was interrupted by someone shouting "MONSTER!" nearby, causing them both to look over. A tall teal bear was standing in front of a hardware store, holding a trash can lid like a frisbee. Without another word, the bear threw it at Snappy.
Dusty gasped, stood up, and caught the lid with ease. He then glared at the bear, whom had a look of pure contempt on his face.
"Back off, Dusty! You're little brother has to learn a lesson!" The bear called, grabbing another lid off a nearby garbage can.
Both Bumblejinks Bros. just looked at him as if he were crazy.
"You want to play catch? Fine. I'll play!" Dusty shouted, and before anyone could stop him, he threw the trash can lid back at the bear with all his might.
The bear held up his lid like a shield in an attempt to block it, but the incoming lid hit him so hard it broke both lids in half, and sent him flying through the door of the hardware shop, where he hit an inside wall with a crash. The door slowly swung shut.
Snappy laughed at the entire display.
"Nice one, Dusty!" He said happily, as the older Bumblejinks just wiped his hands.
Dusty then sighed.
"Guess I spoke to soon about people throwing things at you." He said, scratching the back of his head.
"Note to self: Learn when to keep my mouth shut."
Dusty then remembered why he had come all this way to find his brother. He snapped his fingers and knelt down to Snappy's level again. Snappy turned to face him.
"Oh, right. I just remembered. Melody wanted me to tell you something. It looks like that wormhole machine we destroyed yesterday succeeded in doing its job after all." Dusty began to explain, getting Snappy's full attention. "She sensed a unknown creature entering the Tooniverse via a strange portal somewhere off Chip and Dales Acorn Acres this morning."
Snappy gave him a curious look.
"What do you think it was?" He asked his brother, to which Dusty just shrugged.
"Definitely not some kind of horrible monster or we would have seen it ripping the town apart by now." Dusty replied. He then pulled out his Shticker book, looked at one of the pages, and frowned, before looking back at Snappy. "I was going to go check it out, but Legal Eagles are attacking The Brrrgh and I have to go help the Toons defend it. Think you can go check it out for me?"
Snappy just nodded.
"I guess. I need something to do, after all." He said bitterly.
Dusty just smiled and patted his back, putting his Shticker book away.
"Oh, yeah, Melody also said there was a young cream colored cat Toon in a pink dress out there that needs help as well. I don't know why, but she wanted you to go look for her." Dusty said, shrugging at Snappy in confusion, who simply gave Dusty a blank look.
"Oh yeah, sure, give me something else to mess up royally." Snappy said sarcastically.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up over one mistake. I'm sure everything will work out in the end." He told Snappy, giving him a reassuring thumps up. Dusty then stood up, readjusted his gloves, and took off down the street toward The Brrrgh.
It was only then that Snappy realized where he was. He was on Lighthouse Lane, which led to The Brrrgh.
"Well, Chip and Dales is pretty close to here. Guess I may as well go check it out. Shouldn't take long to get there." He said to himself. He then turned and started toward the playground.
However, before he had taken three steps...
"GET BACK HERE, YOU MURDERER!"
Snappy gasped, turned sharply on the spot, and felt the color from his face drain when he saw what it was.
The bear was back, this time with several other Toons in tow, and they were all chasing after him!
Snappy just sighed.
"On second thought, this may take a while..." He said bitterly, before turning around and dashing off at full-speed.
""It was a recipe for disaster
A four-course meal of no sirree
It seemed that happily ever after
Was happy everyone was after me"
Snappy rounded a corner, a small mob of furious Toons hot on his heels, and jumped behind a large stack of crates near a small shop.
He sat and waited a few minutes, until he was sure the mob was gone, before poking his head out to see where they were.
"Phew. Lost those idiots." He said happily to himself, before climbing out of his hiding place.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?" He heard the bear's furious shout nearby and turned to spot the mob heading his way from the other end of the street. He sighed in frustration.
"Tartar sauce..."
"It was a cup of good intentions
A tablespoon of one big mess
A dash of overreaction
I assume you know the rest"
Snappy quickly engaged his jetpack, flew over the crowd, and continued on his way down the street.
"Got to hide... got to hide..." He muttered to himself, as he lept over a young mothers baby carriage, slid under and past a couple of kids playing leapfrog in the street, and zig-zagged through some Pencil Pushers who were coming out of a nearby Cog building.
All the while he was dodging obstacles in the street, the angry mob behind him was slowly growing in size and in fury.
"One little slip
One little slip
It was a fusion of confusion
With a few confounding things"
Snappy quickly pulled out a bundle of TNT he had borrowed from Dusty, lit the fuse, and dropped it behind him. He rounded another corner and kept on going, not slowing down.
The angry mob was just reaching the corner when the TNT exploded, dropping several of their number into a sizeable ditch and causing some damage to a couple of the nearby shops.
The Toons who fell into the ditch all begged and pleaded for help, for it was too deep to climb out. Toons quickly surrounded the ditch and attempted to pull them out.
"Sheesh, it wasn't bad enough that he killed an innocent cat, now he wants to blow half the town apart!?" A teal dog shouted in anger, surveying the damage to the surrounding area.
"That little dog is a menace!" A crimson mouse exclaimed.
"I guess I probably took the wrong direction
Well, I admit I might have missed a sign or two
I ran a light past your affection
At Humiliation Avenue"
Snappy dived behind another stack of boxes and looked back down the street. No sign of the angry mob that had been chasing him. Thank goodness.
"Note to self: Remember to carry more TNT." Snappy told himself, before turning and spotting more Toons coming his way. They all seemed to look concerned about something.
He crouched down behind the crates and watched them go past. They must have been going to check on that explosion.
"Better motor before they catch up with me." He silently said, before jumping out from behind his hiding place and dashing down the street. The tunnel had to be close.
"I took a right turn at confusion
A left, when I should have gone straight on through
I ran ahead with my assumptions
And we all know what that can do"
"THERE HE IS!" He heard someone shout behind him. He just groaned in exasperation.
"Give me a break already..." He panted, finally reaching the tunnel to the playground. But he knew he couldn't go into the playground with an angry mob on his tail. He needed a distraction.
He pulled out a spare geyser he had been holding onto, aimed it at a nearby fire hydrant next to a shop, hit the button, and dashed through the tunnel to the playground.
The angry mob hadn't seen him go through the tunnel, but they DID see the geyser next to the shop, which had all of its windows open. The geyser quickly flooded the entire shop through the open windows, and a moment later, the two clerks who worked inside came tumbling out of the front door as the water forced it open. It was as if a wave had struck the inside of the shop.
"Oh, great, now he's flooding shops!" Another Toon screamed in fury, to which the rest of the mob shouted in agreement, as they hurried over to help the two clerks.
"One little slip
One little slip
It was a fusion of confusion
And a few confounding things"
Snappy finally reached the playground to Donald's Dock, and wasn't happy to see it crowded with other Toons. And for good reason: There was a Resistance Ranger standing next to the Toon HQ, and he was currently talking with the giant crowd.
"Not going to get to Chip and Dales with them hanging around. I have to get rid of them somehow." Snappy muttered to himself, diving behind a nearby group of bushes next to the tunnel. He quietly peeked out to check the area.
He then looked over and spotted a grand piano being lifted into the gag shop via a small crane. He smiled to himself. How lucky could a dog get?
"Classic." He said to himself, getting his jetpacks attached cream pie cannon ready. This little thing could fire a pie much further and faster than a Toon could throw, making it effective for long range combat... or dealing with problems in general.
"I get the feeling in this town
I'll never live 'til I live down
The one mistake that seems to
Follow me around"
After checking to make sure nobody was watching, Snappy took aim at the small crane lifting the grand piano into the gag shop, closed his left eye, and pulled the trigger.
With an almighty "BANG!", the cannon fired a cream pie directly into the crane operator's cockpit, causing him to let out a yelp of surprise and let go of the controls.
With a gasp, he bolted out of the crane and looked down at the dock below. The piano was falling directly toward a pair of young cats who were talking outside of the gag shop.
"LOOK OUT BELOW!" The crane operator shouted, but it was too late. The piano hit the dock with a loud crash and the sound of multiple sour notes, and smashed a giant hole in front of the gag shop, dropping both cats, screaming, into the cold water.
"They'll forget about the sky
When they all realize this guy's
About to try to learn to fly
Or hit the ground"
"What in Pete's name!?" The Resistance Ranger exclaimed, before dashing over to see what had happened, the crowd of Toons hot on his heels. The two cats that had fallen into the water were begging and pleading for help. The water was too cold for them.
Snappy nodded in approval once everyone was distracted, then bolted to the tunnel to Chip and Dales.
"So far, so good. I'm almost there." He thought to himself, praising himself for a job well done.
"It was a cup of good intentions
A tablespoon of one big mess
A dash of overreaction
I assume you know the rest"
Upon arriving at Chip and Dale's, Snappy quickly took in the surrounding area. Thankfully, the place was pretty much empty. There were a few cats near the gazebo roleplaying as warrior cats, which made him frown. How was he going to get past them?
The answer to that question came when he saw them point to a tall blue rabbit that was fishing on the docks nearby, and had just made a nasty comment about them. They all dashed over as fast as they could and pounced on him at once, causing them all to topple off the dock and into the lake.
Snappy just sighed and shrugged.
"Those cats get weirder and weirder every day." He muttered to himself, watching the rabbit climb out of the water and shout at the cats in anger, whom all simply ran away laughing, before hurrying off toward the forest.
"One little slip
One little slip
It was a humble little stumble
With a big ungraceful..."
Snappy grinned to himself upon finally reaching the forest. He had managed to elude angry mobs, a Resistance Ranger, and crazy role-players, and now he could begin looking for who, or what, that wormhole machine had sent to the Tooniverse.
"I hope I didn't hurt anyone too badly. That TNT was kind of powerful..." He said quietly, hoping nobody had gotten hurt by his attempts to get away from his pursuers. He didn't like the methods he had resorted to in order to get away, but he had no choice; His jetpack was nearly out of power. He couldn't have just flown here.
Shaking the thought away, he pulled out his cream pie cannon from his jetpack once again and began looking for the missing creature. With any luck, he'd find it before it found him. He also had to keep an eye out for that cream cat that needed help. Where the heck could she be?
"One little slip
One little slip
It was a fusion of confusion
With a few confounding things.""
- One hour later...-
"Ugh... ooh..." Fluttershy groaned in agony. Every part of her body hurt as if it had just gotten run over by a train. She couldn't clearly make out where she was, due to her vision being blurred out.
A few moments later, her vision became clear, and she was able to see where she was. She was lying on her back, deep in some kind of giant forest, with loads of trees, rocks, and grass all around her. They looked like nothing she had ever seen before. She'd seen many kinds of plants in her life, in forests, plains and meadows alike, but something about these plants looked... weird.
They looked slightly... Cartoonish.
Fluttershy was used to cartoony-looking surroundings, but this was on a level all of itself. Some of the trees twisted and turned, some were square-shaped, and many more were shaped in ways that she had never seen before. She could have sworn some of the flowers in the area were dancing around. They were moving around a lot, despite there being only a tiny breeze at that moment.
"My friends would all faint if they saw how crazy these plants looked. Especially Rarity." Fluttershy thought to herself, letting out a sigh. At least none of them seemed dangerous.
And she had to admit, those flowers DID look kind of cute as they danced around. But she didn't want to lie there watching them all day.
She looked up and saw the bright blue sky over her.
"At least the sky looks normal." She thought, seeing some normal-looking clouds go by.
Then she saw the sun, and let out a sharp gasp of shock.
The sun was at least the size of her hoof. And it had a face on it!
She quickly looked away, not wanting to damage her eyes, but also because she didn't want to keep looking at that grinning face. It scared her to look at, despite how ridiculous it looked. It reminded her of things much to touchy to go into detail about.
"And I thought Nightmare Moon was scary..." She thought to herself once again. She'd have to ask about that later... if she ever got the chance.
For now, she had to focus on finding somewhere safe, where she could get some information on where she was. And what had happened to that portal that brought her here.
She quickly rolled over onto her hands and knees.
And let out another sharp gasp of shock.
Hands! Knees!
She quickly closed her eyes, hoping beyond hope that what she was about to see wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would be. With a gulp of fright, she slowly opened her eyes and looked down.
Her hooves were gone. Instead, she had two white gloved hands that she was sure weren't supposed to be there. She closed her hand and made a fist, then lowered it to the ground, a confused look on her face.
She then sat down and looked further down at the end of her legs. She had two cream-colored bare feet that slightly resembled animal paws. They looked small, but they were big enough that she could move around. But she knew for sure they weren't supposed to be there.
"What's happened to me...?" She asked silently, still in shock over this entire ordeal.
As if by magic, a large mirror suddenly appeared to her right. She recoiled upon first seeing it, but not because of the mirror itself. It was what she saw INSIDE the mirror that shocked her, for about the tenth time that day. She turned herself around to face it.
Sure enough, she was no longer a young Pegasus Pony. She had transformed into something else. Something she had never seen before. Something that made her rub her eyes ( despite having never done so before in her life ) and take a second, close look into the mirror.
She had turned into, what appeared to be, a short humanoid cat, with cream colored fur. She had long, flowing pink hair on her head that matched her mane, ending in a small curl, which she ran her hands through, as if wondering if it was really there. She then reached up and felt two short, pointed ears at the top of her head, which looked very similar to a cats ears, and nothing like her usual Pony ears. They twitched and flicked when she touched them in a certain spot, and at that moment, they were picking up all sorts of sounds in the nearby area. The sound of the light breeze rustling the trees and the grass was coming through to her more clearly than ever before. She felt the small black button nose on her muzzle that was currently picking up the scent of fresh pine trees and healthy flowers.
She was missing her tail and wings. Instead she had on a pretty pink knee-length dress with bright magenta trim and short sleeves that reached halfway to her elbows. It had a set of three small butterflies stitched on the front of it, which resembled her cutie mark.
Her eyes widened. She quickly reached down, lifted her skirt slightly ( again, despite having never done so before in her life ), and turned her side to face the mirror, checking to see if she still had her cutie mark.
What she saw only caused tears to appear in her eyes.
No cutie mark. It was gone.
She ran a hand over the spot where her cutie mark should have been, a slight hint of fear in her eyes, but there was nothing. Just cream-colored fur.
Letting go of her skirt, and with tears in her eyes, she looked at the ground and whimpered, tears forming in her eyes.
What had happened to her? Why was she here? Why hadn't her friends joined her here? Why had this happened to HER, of all Ponies?
She was pretty sure her friends hadn't joined her in that dreaded portal, so they were all likely back in Ponyville. But that just meant that she was here by herself. And without her wings, she couldn't even fly. She had nothing to go on.
She was all alone, lost in some foreign land she had never seen or been to before. And she was terrified. She had no idea how to get home. But even if she did, how could she go home looking like she did now? She looked nothing like the cute Pegasus Pony everyone knew and loved.
"I can't go home like this..." She said silently and miserably to herself, burying her face in her hands as she began to cry. "Who would recognize me like this? I'm a monster! I'm a... a... " She stammered, tears raining down from her eyes. It was quite a heartbreaking sight.
"A Toon, young one." A mysterious voice said from somewhere nearby. It sounded like Luna from the Lunar RPG series ( especially Silver Star Story Complete ), only slightly older. It was sweet, innocent, easy on the ears, and had a hint of sage-like wisdom to it.
Fluttershy gasped and looked up, trying to see who it was who had spoken.
"Who... who's there?" She asked, fear suddenly taking over again. She didn't recognize that voice. But then again, what did she expect in a place she had never seen or been to before?
"Over here, little one." The stranger had called out again. It sounded like it was coming from behind her.
Fluttershy quickly stood up and turned, and quietly gasped again.
Of all things to see in a place like this, she NEVER expected something like this!
It was a tall bright blue cat who had spoken. She was about a head or so taller than Fluttershy. She had long hair of the same bright blue color, which was tipped in a beautiful lighter blue color. She was wearing a long, white robe, or dress, with pretty silver trim and dazzling blue jewels around the collar. It looked very royal and beautiful, like something Rarity might have designed. A silver tiara atop her head with a light blue snowflake design on the front signified she must be royalty of some description. She was barefoot like Fluttershy, with the same animal-like paws for feet that she had. She was holding a long white staff in one hand, which was almost as tall as she was, which had the same light blue snowflake design on it as her tiara did.
Fluttershy just stood in stunned silence. The mysterious cat just smiled warmly at her.
"There's no need to be scared, young one. I won't hurt you." The stranger said, snapping her fingers. The mirror next to Fluttershy disappeared in a puff of blue smoke, startling Fluttershy and causing her to recoil from the spot where it had once stood.
The tall cat then quickly strode over to Fluttershy, seemingly gliding along the ground like a tall blue and white swan.
"Um... who are you?" Fluttershy asked, quickly looking away. She didn't know whether to be scared or fascinated by this mysterious creature, who at that time had put a hand on her shoulder in a soothing sort of way.
"They call me Melody around here." Melody responded, lowering herself to her knees so she was on level with Fluttershy, who had turned around to face her. Melody had this strange aura around her that made you want to trust her, and Fluttershy couldn't deny the warmth in her eyes that made you feel happy inside, and made you want to forget about the worlds many problems.
Too bad Fluttershy's problems were too big and dangerous for her to feel even remotely happy at that instance. She was still deep in trouble.
"You gave me quite a fright, young one." The blue cat started again, letting out a sad sigh, as if she were already regretting what she was about to say. "When I saw that wormhole open here in the middle of the forest, I knew something was amiss. So I came out here to see what had happened. That's when I found you, a little Pony, passed out here in the middle of nowhere."
Fluttershy's eyes widened when Melody said the word "Pony". Was she still a Pony when she got sent here? Then how did she...
"I... I was still a Pony? But, why do I look like..." She gestured down to her current form. Melody gave Fluttershy another sad look, which hurt Fluttershy's heart to look at. She clearly didn't like seeing such a beautiful creature giving her such an upset look.
"I knew there would be an uproar if someone like you was found here in this town. We don't have Ponies in this town, after all. Or this world, for that matter. So I used my power to turn you into one of us." Melody explained, taking note of the shocked look on Fluttershy's face. "It was to help you blend in, and to avoid any trouble."
"Trouble? Why would an innocent little Pony cause trouble?" Fluttershy wondered. Surely, the sight of a Pony in whatever place she was in wouldn't cause THAT much of an uproar... could it?
Melody just sighed again.
"Young one, I don't know how to tell you this, but... the world you know, the way of life you know... this isn't it. You're in an entirely different world." Melody said, once again catching Fluttershy off guard, for her eyes had widened.
"What do you mean? I'm in a different world?" Fluttershy asked, still not getting the full story.
Melody gave her another sad look.
"This in the Tooniverse, young one. A world where we live off of fun and silliness, and where we've never seen or heard of Ponies or you're world before. You're Equestria, you're princess Celestia, you're hometown of Ponyville, and all of your friends... they don't exist here. You're the first of your kind to ever set foot, or hoof, as you call it, into this world." Melody explained further.
Fluttershy was completely and utterly shocked. That portal... had sent her to an entirely different world. A world where none of her friends, or her home, had ever existed. It was as if she had traveled through time and space.
"To boldly go where no Pony has gone before... Not even Daring Do..." She thought to herself. Only she didn't feel bold at that particular time. She felt scared and confused. And full of questions that needed answers.
"But how did I get here? All I remember is getting sucked into this giant purple portal, then... nothing." Fluttershy asked, recounting how she had gotten here.
Melody suddenly acquired an angry expression. Fluttershy could somehow tell this was going to be a serious subject.
"I'm afraid it's all on account of this world's resident supervillain: The evil tyrant Mystery." Melody told Fluttershy, earning a confused look from her. "He's cruel, he's insane, and he's a monster. He's been running around this world causing trouble wherever he goes. He's out to conquer the world, you might say. And recently, he had tried to use a wormhole machine to bring some horrible monster into this world to destroy it. My guess is the machine thought YOU qualified as a horrible monster and brought you here."
Melody then stood up.
"I'm very sorry if this is all too confusing for you." She said to Fluttershy, who had simply shaken her head.
"No, it's alright. I just feel so... lost. So alone. I'm so used to having my friends around to help me when I get in trouble. But now that I'm all alone, I just feel..." She couldn't find the right word to describe how she felt.
"Empty?" Melody asked. Fluttershy nodded sadly at her.
"I have no idea what I'm going to do now." Fluttershy said quietly, looking down at the ground. She had never felt so empty in her life. What she wouldn't give to have her friends at her side. Surely together, they could find a way out of this mess...
"Well, sometimes bad things happen. I know I didn't want you to be dragged out of your comfort zone any more than anyone else did. But here you are." Melody replied, still with that sad expression on her face.
The older cat then paused to think for a moment, before looking back down at Fluttershy, who had just walked over to ask something else.
"I'm sorry to ask, but how am I able to use these..." She gestured to her hands and feet. "...whatever you call them? I've never had them before in my life."
Melody smiled warmly at her once again.
"I knew you would have trouble adapting to having this body, seeing as how you come from a world where you're kind walk on all fours. So I gave you the knowledge of how to use this body right after I transformed you." Melody explained, scratching the back of her head. "Again, it's to help you blend in. The last thing we need in this town is a little Pony showing up. Especially after yesterday's tragedy."
Fluttershy gave her a concerned look.
"Tragedy?" She asked, to which Melody simply sighed.
"That villain I mentioned before, Mystery, he wasn't just trying to bring some monster into this world. He had also taken a number of innocent Toons prisoner for attempting to break into his headquarters." She started, her heart heavy from having to talk about such a depressing subject. Fluttershy could sense her distress, and slowly approached.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Fluttershy said, suddenly feeling bad for having brought up such an uncomfortable subject. But Melody simply hand-waved it off.
"It's nothing. Anyway, there was a little accident in his lab that same day. This town's resident superhero and his sidekick, they were trying to stop Mystery from causing anymore mayhem in this town." The older cat went on, only to be stopped by Fluttershy, who had a curious look in her eye.
"Superhero?" She asked. Melody just smiled at her.
"Dusty Bumblejinks. The strongest Toon in town. He's spent the last twelve years of his life protecting this town from all sorts of threats. It's gotten to the point where everybody around here considers him the towns very own superhero. His younger brother Snappy joined his battle for peace about five years ago, and those two have been inseparable since." Melody rambled on, gazing up at the sky happily, shortly before catching herself and looking back down at Fluttershy.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I tend to ramble when something has happened." She then let out a low breath to calm herself. "Anyway, little Snappy, in a last resort to put the machine out of working order, threw some explosives into it and caused it to explode. But it was only afterwards did he discover a piece of the machine had pierced the heart of one of the prisoners, killing the poor girl."
"Oh." Fluttershy said in understanding, giving Melody a heartbreaking expression, no different than the one she was wearing when she thought Angel Bunny had gotten crushed by a falling pillar, minus the tears. She wasn't going to lie, she never liked hearing about a death. Especially when the deceased in question was just an innocent bystander. "I'm so sorry to hear that."
"We all were when we learned what had happened." Melody replied. "Of course, Toons rarely die in this town, and when they do, it's almost always another Toon's fault, so when the news got out, everyone was quick to blame and bash Snappy for causing the young cats death. I saw an angry mob chasing him through one of the neighborhoods of the town about an hour ago. Everyone except myself, his siblings, and a couple of our friends are furious at him. And he used to be one of the most beloved Toons ever."
Fluttershy could barely believe what she was hearing.
"That must be terrible." Fluttershy said. She couldn't imagine how that must feel. Going from one of the most beloved of your kind to one of the most hated in a single day, all because you had accidently killed someone while trying to stop an evil tyrant.
She suddenly pictured Princess Celestia having to seal away her sister Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon inside the moon. What if she had messed it up somehow and gotten somepony killed? Everypony and their grandmother would have wanted her removed from her throne, in favor of somepony who could do their duties WITHOUT causing any innocent deaths! It was purely speculation, but she could see it happening. Thank goodness it never came to that.
But despite how she felt, she still had a few questions she wanted answered.
"Um, if you don't mind me asking, what ARE Toons, anyway?" Fluttershy asked, earning another warm smile from Melody.
"Ah, I'm afraid we have spoken to long, young one. I must return to my home." The older cat answered, before putting a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder once again. "But don't fret. We'll be seeing each other again."
"But when? I've really got to get home. My friends are probably worried sick about me." Fluttershy worried, fearing her friends may do something rash if she didn't return. She knew how crazy they could get when things weren't going right. Especially Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle!
Melody thought for a second, before addressing her again.
"I may know of a way to get you home, but there are a number of things that are going to have to happen before I can do it. It's not an easy feat, and dare I say it, one I have never attempted before." Melody said, earning a hopeful look from Fluttershy.
"Is there a way? Any way?" Fluttershy asked, to which Melody simply nodded.
"Yes, I do think there is a way. But it will have to wait for a while. You've much to do before I can get you home." The older cat replied, before perking her ears up and looking out into the trees, her eyes wide.
Fluttershy heard it, too. Footsteps. Someone was coming!
But because their hearing was highly advanced, whoever it was sounded like they were still two hundred yards out.
"And first on the list is to find whoever that is." Melody said, nodding in the direction the footsteps were coming from. "Unless I'm mistaken, THAT is Snappy Bumblejinks. I figured it was only a matter of time before those brothers would come looking for whoever that portal sent here."
"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked. She really didn't want to get herself into any more trouble... if that was even possible in her case.
Melody simply nodded.
"Don't worry. The Bumblejinks brothers are the good guys. You can trust them. They won't try to hurt you." She said, before bending down to Fluttershy's level to give her a hard look. "It's Mystery and his henchmen you have to watch out for. If he finds you, there'll be trouble. Tons of it."
Fluttershy shuddered. She didn't like the sound of this Mystery person. He sounded worse than every villain she had ever encountered before put together.
"My only advice to you, little Fluttershy, is to find the Bumblejinks Bros. as fast as you can, and stay well clear of that dark and unhappy brown cat, Mystery. Don't try to befriend him or get him to change his ways; He's already too far gone to be saved. And don't stick your neck out! Don't go telling Toons you're really a Pony from another world. It'll likely spark more trouble, and that's the last thing we need." Melody advised, finally standing back up.
"Is there anything else I should know?" Fluttershy asked.
"Glad you asked." Melody replied, smiling once again. "Come see me tomorrow. The Bumblejinks will know the way to find me." Melody instructed. Fluttershy then felt her hand leave her shoulder.
Fluttershy thought about what Melody had just said for a moment, before she realized something. Something that made her eyes widen.
"Hey, wait a minute! How do you know my name?" She asked, turning around to face Melody.
Only Melody wasn't there.
Eyes wide, Fluttershy turned in all directions, trying to find any trace of the mysterious blue cat who had just been speaking with her. It was as if she were never there.
She shuddered again. That cat was nice, and her advice was very welcome, but she was creepy. Especially with the disappearing act and her knowledge of Fluttershy's home world.
And how did she know her name? How did she know of Equestria? Of her friends? Of Princess Celestia, whom she had mentioned by name?
"This place is getting weirder and weirder by the minute." She thought to herself.
"Hello? Is anyone out there?"
She heard someone calling out nearby. It sounded like someone who was a couple of years younger than she was. She perked up her ears, turned, and started off in the direction of the voice, nearly tripping over something soft on the ground that she hadn't seen before.
She looked down and sighed with some minor relief. It was the golden scarf her friends had given her. It looked to be in mint condition.
"At least this is still here." She thought to herself, picking it up and wrapping it around herself once again. Somehow she felt slightly safer with this on.
She then noticed something else lying on the ground. Something that made her gasp once again.
Applejack's hat! She had forgotten that it had gotten pulled off of her head and into the portal as well.
Fluttershy quickly bent down and picked it up. It appeared to be in mint condition as well, despite the harsh ride into this world.
She then noticed yet another object on the ground, which had been lying underneath the hat.
It was a medium-sized strap-on shoulder bag.
She quirked an eyebrow at the mysterious bag, before bending down to examine it further. It was the same pink color as her dress, and it had her name stitched across the top in bright, golden letters. There was a note on top of it, which was addressed to her from Melody.
"You're going to need these. Please give this note to Snappy when you find him. Good luck!"
Fluttershy wanted to have a look at the bags contents, but whoever was making those footsteps was getting closer, and she had to focus on finding them. Slipping Applejack's hat into the bag carefully, she slipped the strap over her shoulder, which gave her good reach into the bag with her left hand, And with the note to this Snappy person in hand, she quickly hurried off to find the source of the footsteps she was hearing. She was silently hoping it was this Snappy Bumblejinks person, and not somebody else.
Dusty Bumblejinks and all associated characters are owned and copyright by Bulldozer Studios.
Fluttershy, My Little Pony and all associated characters are owned and copyright by Hasbro.
Toontown and all associated characters, including the cogs, are owned and copyright by The Walt Disney Company.
"One Little Slip" Composed and Performed by Barenaked Ladies for the major motion picture "Chicken Little". All Rights Reserved.
