Fairy Tales of Equestria

Sunny and the Beast

Once upon a time in a small village, there lived a beautiful and slightly odd pony called Sun-Belle Shimmer. She lived with her father in the village and although she longed to make friends, most of the other ponies in the village thought of her as very strange and some of them didn't want anything to do with her.

One day, Sun-Belle's father, Mr. Burst, was called away on an important business trip in the city. Before he left for his journey, he asked his daughter,

"Now Sun-Belle, when I return home, what gift would you like me to get you?"

"Oh Papa, I don't need anything. All I want is for you to return home safely." The young mare said humbly.

"Come on, there must be something I can bring back for you. What would you like?"

"Okay, okay; since you are offering and all. I'd just like a red rose, if it isn't too much trouble."

"A rose it is."

Mr. Burst nodded his head, gave his daughter a quick hug, and he was on his way.

After his meeting was finally done and over with, Mr. Burst had remembered Sun-Belle's request, but he couldn't find a red rose for her. He searched every garden, every greenhouse, and every flower shop he could find, but he had no luck. As he was on his way home through a dark forest, Mr. Burst was suddenly caught in the middle of a horrible thunderstorm. In the midst of the storm, he came across a mighty castle and surrounding the castle was the largest and most exquisite garden he had ever seen in his life.

Mr. Burst walked around the castle grounds with wide eyes, taking in the beautiful plants and flowers that surrounded the enormous manor. And suddenly, something caught his eye; a rose as red as fire, just what Sun-Belle Shimmer had asked for. It was growing on a bush that grew all different colors of roses.

'A red rose! What luck!' He thought as he excitedly walked towards the bush.

But just as he picked the red flower, Mr. Burst was greeted by an angry sounding snarling roar unlike anything he had ever heard before.

"Who is stealing flowers from my garden!? You're not welcome here!!" A loud, unfamiliar voice boomed.

Mr. Burst was so scared that he almost fell over; he quickly whipped his head around to look for the source of the voice. When he craned his neck up, his eyes widened the moment he saw a tall dark figure standing over him. Mr. Burst gasped and cringed in terror at the sight; he backed away in horror, unsure of what to do.

"Don't just stand there. Who are you? What are you doing here? And why are you stealing my roses?" The figure demanded.

Mr. Burst caught his breath and he could finally talk, but his voice wavered from fear and panic while he spoke to the horrendous creature.

"M-m-my... name is Burst, my lord. I'm just a simple stallion and I was lost in the forest after trying to find a present for my daughter." He said nervously, trying not to scream in terror.

"So that's it?" The figure asked. "You've come to steal from me, have you?!"

"Please, I meant no harm! Honest!" Mr. Igneous pleaded.

"Likely story. I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget."

The dark figure reached out an enormous claw, snatched up Mr. Burst and took him back into his castle, slamming the door shut behind him.

A week went by and Sun-Belle Shimmer hadn't heard anything from her father yet and soon, she began to worry about him. Even though she was told never to leave the village borders because nopony had bothered to go in the forest that stood beside the town, Sun-Belle was desperate. She grabbed herself a scarf, headed outside, and ran into the forest in search of her beloved father.