“I can’t believe how this happened.” Fluttershy thought to herself as she sat outside of the mayor’s office, on the verge of tears from the event in the last hour or so.
Fluttershy was seated on a dusty seat, looking down at the ground “I just know I’m going to be exiled from Ponyville!” she continued thinking. “Or worse, she’ll throw me in jail!” it was at that thought that Fluttershy couldn’t hold back any more, she let out two small tears that soon escalated into many tears rolling down her face.
The town hall was in shambles: there where holes in the roof and floor, doors where bent off their hinges, and generally there was just dirt, trash and filth everywhere, and it all started when…
***************************************************
The sun was beating down on the back of Angle bunny’s neck as he weeded Fluttershy’s garden, as he did every other Saturday morning. It wasn’t his favorite chore, in fact there wasn’t a single chore that Angle did like, but Angle had to obey Fluttershy. To Angle, it was only fair though: Fluttershy makes sure Angle is happy and healthy and in return he helps Fluttershy with some simple chores.
Angle continued his weeding as the shy Yellow Pegasus came trotting from around the other side of the tree cottage, a bag of dead leaves in her mouth. She put the bag down gently and surveyed the white rabbit’s progress.
“Oh Angle, you are doing a marvelous job, I think you have earned yourself a break.” She complimented in a sweet and soft tone. At hearing the word ‘break’, Angle leaped up from his work and sprinted inside, looking like nothing but a white blur. Seeing her little rabbit so enthusiastic about having a well-deserved break, made Fluttershy giggle a bit, “if only he was like this for chores.” She thought to herself.
Fluttershy followed her bunny’s path inside, surprised to see a rather patient Angle Bunny waiting in the Kitchen. Usually, Angle is tapping his foot, all huffed up that her caretaker takes much too long to help him.
“Well, for being such a good helper today, Angle, I think you earned some very special carrot and cucumber-aid.” Fluttershy beamed at the bunny.
Angle bounced up and down with joy: carrot and cucumber-aid was his all-time favorite drink. And on a day as hot as this one was, it was going to make it all the more, sweeter.
Fluttershy Got out her special Juicer and all the necessary ingredients for the juice and was just about to start chopping up the carrots when *KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK* came from her front door. Now this made Fluttershy do something she hardly ever did. She frowned and let out a Huff.
“Oh grate. Just my luck that somepony is at the door just when I start.” She huffed out. Fluttershy then took a calming breath and shook her head real quick to regain a hospitable composer. She walked over to her front door and opened it slightly to peek out side to see who was there. “H-Hello?” she softly squeaked out. There was no answer, and she wasn’t able to see anyone there.
Fluttershy took a deep breath and pushed her front door open all the way, the hinges creaking from years of old use. Fluttershy had always loved that sound, even though he kept promising to herself she would get some oil to fix the sound, she never did on account of just feeling comforted by her door whispering “I will protect you”, in the form of the creaking.
“Hello?” she called again, more confident this time. Her eyes focused on a tan unicorn stallion looking in through the windows of the cottage. He reeled back at hearing Fluttershy’s voice.
“Oh, you startled me.” He said in a very apologetic way.
Fluttershy put a hoof up to cover her gasp. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s alright; I shouldn’t have been peering in through your window.” He said, blushing. The unicorn was a bit taller than Fluttershy and much skinnier to. His pure white mane stuck out from under a cap that had the letters E.A.P.A.
“umm…” Fluttershy wasn’t really sure what to say. She didn’t want to sound rude by just bluntly asking why he was here, but also, she wanted to avoid just beating around the bush. So, she just stayed quiet, scuffing the ground with an embarrassed and confused look on her face.
The unicorn perked up, remembering something. “That’s right; they told me you were a shy one. Well then, I shall make this quick.” He took off his hat and bowed politely to the quiet Pegasus. “I am Labyrinth Rattail, but you can just call me Lab-Rat.”
Fluttershy nodded in understanding. She wasn’t quite sure how to deal with all of what was happening. She did enjoy meeting new ponies, but her shyness always got in the way of doing that. Fluttershy took a deep breath, this Pony was obviously here for business reasons, and so Fluttershy just had to remember that this had to be professional, right?
“Well, umm…Mr. Lab-Rat; may I ask why you are here?” she asked.” I mean if that’s not to intrusive?” She immediately reeled, slightly trying to hide behind her pink mane.
Lab-Rat had a confused look on his face. He shook it off and continued, “Well, I come from the Equestria Animal Protection Association; perhaps you have heard about us?” he asked, a bit prideful.
Fluttershy had to think for a second: The Equestria Animal Protection Association? She could swear she has heard of that before but knew not where. “Well, it sounds, umm, a little familiar.”
Lab-Rat nodded in understanding, “That’s quite alright,” he reassured, “We don’t get many calls out to this part of Equestria, so it’s understandable that our services aren’t advertised much.” He used his magic to pull out a card from inside his hat and floated it over to the Pegasus. “We specialize in the protection of Equestrian animals in regards to the relations to its citizens.”
Fluttershy looked down at the little info card: it was quite simple in design, having “Equestria Animal Protection Association” in printed letters on the front and the logo underneath. The logo was fairly simple: just a pony’s hoof coming to meet a monkey’s paw to create a heart.
Fluttershy’s eyes widen in realization. She knew she had heard of this organization before, and now seeing the logo she remembered why. The E.A.P.A. was a task force of sorts that insured the safety of animals or taking care of animal related problems. If she remembered correctly, when Fillydelphia was under that Parasprite infestation, it was the E.A.P.A. that was called in to clean up the mess.
Fluttershy gave a small smile, “Oh, now I remember,” she gave Lab-Rat his card back. “Um, How can help you?” on the inside, she was hoping he wasn’t here to recruit her. Fluttershy knew that there was no way she could balance taking care of animals, being there for her friends, and participate in the E.A.P.A.
Lab-Rat cleared his through before going on. “As you may know, we specialize in making sure animals are safe and happy,” he motioned for Fluttershy to follow him and started to walk to his mode of transportation, “and we make it our duty to also place them where they belong: in their own natural habitat.”
Nodding in understatement, Fluttershy followed to Lab-Rat’s half train, half carriage. It wasn’t really a carriage, because it didn’t need to be pulled by ponies. Instead, it looked like it was magic driven. There were two large crates on the large flatbed part that the front pulled. “What could be in those crates, I wonder?” Fluttershy thought to herself. “Maybe I should ask, but OH, I wouldn’t want to bother him, it’s probably none of my business.” As Fluttershy thought these things, she began to get worried and it show out on her face.
Lab-Rat apparently noticed and decided to just skip to the point, “So what we, at E.A.P.A. understand is that you care for all types of animals big and small, correct?”
Fluttershy squeaked out a hardly audible, “yes.”
Lab-Rat smiled a warm smile, “That’s good, because I have been tasked with transporting two very precious animals,” he indicated to the cargo. “They are to be taken aboard a ship that will take them to a more suitable habitat that Equestria just doesn’t offer.” Lab-Rat put a hoof tenderly on one of the boxes, looking at it tenderly. To Fluttershy, it looked like was looking past the box, to whatever was inside it. “They should be happier there.”
Fluttershy notice small tears beginning to form under the unicorn’s eyes. Lab-Rat sighed and the tears disappeared, “unfortunately a small road block caused us to double back to your town.” Fluttershy was starting to put the pieces together in her head. Perhaps what Lab-Rat was here for was to ask Fluttershy if she could provide space for the animals he was transporting. “So, because you are pretty well known for your amazing ability with animals…” Lab-Rat began shuffling his hooves slightly, looking somewhat antsy about what he was about to ask. “Would it be too much trouble to ask you to let them stay here with you, just for the day?” he shut his eyes, praying to Celestia for a yes.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened at the prospect of being able to work with exotic animals, and from being right in her assumption. “Oh, well yes,” She shook her head. “They can stay here, I mean.”
The unicorn looked relived to have a solution to his, otherwise, big problem. “Oh thank you, Ms. Fluttershy.” He thanked.
“What animals are they?” Fluttershy asked as Lab-Rat began magical pull some supplies out of the driver’s seat, and open the boxes. Fluttershy then noticed for the first time, the unicorn’s cutie mark: it was just a plain old Sheppard’s staff. “I wonder what that could mean.” Fluttershy questioned.
Suddenly Fluttershy felt the ground rumble and shake slightly as giant footsteps walked out of the crate, “Easy now girl.” Fluttershy heard Lab-Rat say to the large monster stepping out of the crate.
The first thing she saw was a ling gray tube, the tube was connected to a rather large yet gentle looking face, next the large gray hulking body that delicately shuffled out. It was a medium sized female elephant, and animal that Fluttershy had only ever seen in pictures and at zoos she has gone to. “Oh dear, I never took care of an elephant before.”
Lab-Rat went around and opened the second Crate, “Come on, Brute. We have a place for you to stay for the day.” Fluttershy heard the unicorn say as he herded the next animal out. Fluttershy expected it to be another Elephant.
Indeed it was large and gray, but in place of a large trunk was a horn and it was much smaller than the Elephant. Fluttershy could hardly believe it, but instead of an elephant, the second large beast was a Rhinoceros. This was an animal that Fluttershy has never seen in real life before; she was starting to feel a little weak in the knees, Two animals that Fluttershy has never taken care of before where standing right there on her front lawn.
“There shouldn’t be any trouble, as long as you feed them and make sure they have plenty of water, everything should be fine.” Lab-Rat informed as he made sure the two beasts stayed still. “Now do you happen to have an enclosed space they could stay?” he asked as he picked up the two animals bags of food.
Thinking for a minute, Fluttershy tried to remember what was free. “Umm…I have a pen that I usually put big animals that need to stay overnight.” Fluttershy informed pointing in the direction it was. She was feeling a bit uncomfortable, and yet excited about getting to care for new animals.
Lab-Rat nodded and levitated the bags behind his as he walked in the direction the yellow Pegasus indicated. “That should be fine.” He answered over his shoulder.
The unicorn put down the bags inside the pen when he and Fluttershy made it to the pen and directed the two beasts into separate pens. Fluttershy only over used these pens when she was taking care of the apples Cows or the occasional bear or two, but now it was an elephant pen and Rhino pen for the day.
Lab-Rat turned to Fluttershy, “Now let me tell you how to take care of these two.”
***************************************************
After a rather long explanation for how to properly care for the two beasts, Lab-Rat got in to his vehicle and drove off to where he was to stay for the day, uttering very pleased , “Good bye and thank you again!”
Fluttershy waved her hoof in a good bye as he disappeared out of sight. Now she was alone again, or she would have been if you didn’t count the rather impatient angle Bunny poking at her legs. “Oh, angle. I’m very sorry, I almost forgot,” she apologized to her fluffy little pet, “Let’s go get you that carrot and cucumber-aid now.”
Fluttershy looked at her clock, she still had one hour before her new guests needed to be fed. She had learned that the elephant’s name was Cherry and the rhinoceros’s name was Brute. But, with that completely aside, Fluttershy felt confident that she had the skills necessary to ensure these animals’ safety and health, so she set off making her little bunny, his well-deserved and long awaited drink.
***************************************************
I stalk through the grass with quickness and haste,
The look of determination on my face.
I am a mouse with mouths to feed
So I gather up berries nuts and seeds.
But what is that my ears do hear?
A monster, perhaps, that provokes my fear.
What could it be? I have to know.
Is it friend, or is it foe?
Away I go, as quick as a flash,
After, of course, I hide my stash,
Straight up to the source of the sound,
And that is where I had found
A monster so big and gray and mean,
I had to keep from being seen.
It’s feet, I swore, where big as trees.
And then a though that made me freeze.
“What am I doing, Getting into trouble?”
“I should high-tail it out of here on the double.”
But as these thoughts crossed my mind,
I looked up to only find
I had marched up to the beast.
He had to be 50 feet at least,
But I still challenged it, chest puffed out,
And so it could hear me I did shout.
“Foul beast, you don’t scare me,”
“Though I am quite small as you can see,”
“I still am, strong and smart and tough.”
And then I decided enough was enough,
So I charged the best, my intent to kill,
Tonight there will be blood to spill.
What happened next? It’s hard to say,
But the monster screamed then ran away.
It broke the fence at a break-neck pace,
, A look of horror upon its face.
***************************************************
*CHRASH*
The sudden noise made Fluttershy jump and she ran to hind under her table. Angle bunny, however, quickly sprang to the window to see what had caused the noise. Something big and gray was running on a rampage away from the cottage.
“W-what was that, angle?” Fluttershy whimpered out, her hooves still covering her eyes.
Angle hopped from the window and down to the weeping scared Pegasus. He tugged on her pink mane to get her to see what was happening outside. It took some coaxing, but Fluttershy eventually got up and peeked out the window.
“oh, my…what h-happened?, was it a sudden tornado?” a flurry of thoughts raced through Fluttershy’s mind. “What if the animals are hurt?” her mind now on the well being of her little animal friends she raced out of the house to see if anyone was hurt.
It was even worse outside. It didn’t seem as if any animals where hurt, but the damage of smashed pens, and broken fences made it seem like someone was hurt. She flew around from animal to animal checking on them and corralling them in to the pens that were still in tacked.
“OH NO! Brute and Cherry!” Fluttershy exclaimed out loud as she finally made her way around to the larger pens, Brute and Cherry where missing.
Something moving in the grass caught Fluttershy’s eye, it was a tiny little field mouse. The pieces started to add up in her head and Fluttershy knew what happened.
***************************************************
“Fluttershy, please come into my office.” Mayor Mare called to the Pegasus still looking sadly down at the ground. Fluttershy walked into the office, her head still down. She felt like her whole body just went into auto pilot; her mind was racing around with thoughts of what was going to happen.
Before she knew she was sitting inside the mayor’s office. It was relatively untouched other than a broken a window, that a young brown work pony was patching up with wood. “Ms. Fluttershy, I am so happy you are unhurt.” A voice from behind her drew the yellow Pegasus’s attention. It was Lab-Rat.
“Oh, Mr. Lab-Rat I am so sorry.” Fluttershy apologized. She was again on the brink of crying, but she needed to act as professional as possible, but it was getting harder to do so.
“Excuse me, but who are you?” the Mayor asked, still holding that level of authority she always has in her voice.
Lab-Rat tipped his hat and stepped towered the Mayor. “You must be the mayor.” He greeted.
Mayor mare kept her eyes locked firmly on the tan unicorn. “Yes I am.”
“I am Labyrinth Rattail.” He levitated his card out to show the Mayor. Fluttershy Just kept looking at the floor, using all her will power not to cry.
In the back of her mind, Fluttershy swore she could hear the broken Town hall mocking her. The creaking of cracked floorboards asking: “Why would you do this?” The clacking of the broken wood falling to the floor accusing: “You Irresponsible fool!” And from the banging of metal shouting: “YOU DID THIS!”
Fluttershy could hold it in, any longer; it started with a small sob, then sniffling as tears streamed down the yellow mare’s cheeks, to a complete melt-down of large tears, unstopped only by the Mayors desk.
The two other ponies had stopped their conversation upon noticing that Fluttershy started weeping, But Fluttershy no longer cared that they saw her, she just wanted to start the whole day over again, an impossible miracle.
“Oh, Fluttershy please don’t cry,” Lab-Rat tried to comfort Fluttershy. “Animals are unpredictable; you couldn’t have known that this was going to happen.” He then straitened up as a question popped into his mind. “What did happen?”
Through the sobbing and sniffling, Fluttershy answered, “I-I th-think that a-a mouse *sob* c-came out of the F-forest and *sob* a-and scared Cherry.”
A look of complete defeat washed over the Unicorn. “I am so sorry; I should have mentioned that Cherry has musophobia.”
“Muso-what?” the Mayor asked in a shocked tone.
“It’s the fear of rats and small rodents.” He quickly explained. “Ms. Mayor, I would like take full responsibility of all the damages caused. If you would allow me to send a line over to E.A.P.A. headquarters I am sure we could-“
“I am Afraid I cannot let you do that.” the brown Earth pony interrupted. “Because the two beasts where under the care, and therefore custody, of young Ms. Fluttershy, this legally makes what transpired her responsibility.”
Fluttershy’s stomached dropped, “Oh no! What if she gives me the death penalty?” a sudden shock of fear, the likes of which Fluttershy has never encountered before, hit her: the fear for her own life.
“Ms. Mayor, what do you mean?” Fluttershy franticly asked.
“Since you have already both, been proven guilty and confessed to being the one responsible for this,” the mayor waved her hoof to indicate the whole town hall, “there is no need for a trial case. I will decide what your sentence will be right now.”
A cold sweat formed on Fluttershy’s head. Her whole life began to flash in front of her eyes. The room felt like it was spinning, faster and faster until Fluttershy felt like she wanted to throw-up. She wanted to faint but couldn’t as her whole body felt stiff and unmovable. Her joints began to ache and her muscles felt sore, and she wished more than ever to just be a rock. No pony could get mad at a rock, a rock couldn’t move on its own, and a rock would never have to feel anything, ever.
“Fluttershy,” the Mayor continued, “I believe that the best course of action for such an incident as, this would be: A fine of double the cost for all the damages plus interest, 15 years in prison unless appealed by Equestrian royal law, and that the two animals, that caused all this, be put down!”
