Shy and the Beast (Master): Animal Instincts

by Cerulean Voice

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Celestia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Romance, Fluttershy, Adventure
Length: 5370

Cratus and Fluttershy team up to research and capture dangerous wildlife from the Everfree Forest. Of course, they may find they have more than a passion for animals in common...

Princess Celestia has put out a reward for anypony willing to venture into the Everfree Forest in order to acquire some incredibly rare—but dangerous—creatures, for the purposes of research and education. Cratus is the only pony willing to answer the call; after all, he's dealt with dangerous and rare creatures his entire life.

But there is another pony who might prove useful to him, and his cause. He's heard tell of her affinity for wild creatures: specifically, her unparalleled ability to keep them calm.

Never did he anticipate the impact that convincing her to join him would have on either of their lives.

Pre-read by NightWolf289, PaulAsaran, SirTruffles, Majin Syeekoh, Foals Errand, Magello, and Themaskedferret.

Cover art by Magello.

Now featured on Equestria Daily!

Published 2015-03-18 23:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-02-02 16:25:08 UTC

Prologue: Porcupede

The scratching of a quill filled the tarpaulin tent, stretched tight and held in place by six wooden pegs. Next to the diary, a candle illuminated the enclosed space; the tiny flame stood proud in its glass dome, casting dancing shadows across the tent’s inner walls as they rippled with the breeze. But there was no need to fear. The tent had been through worse storms and would weather this one easily.

At least, so he had assured her.

A thunderclap rumbled outside, short and sharp before retreating into the distance. The quill’s scratching stopped momentarily as the mare gripping it tensed, her ears skyward and her breath suppressed. Only when the rumble accompanying the gentle pitter-patter of rain faded did the scratching resume. Her mane hung flat, still in the process of drying. The air was crisp and cool; she shuffled closer to the candle’s light and warmth as the wind picked up outside her sanctuary.

… to have such a brave pony looking out for me. I’ve lost track of how many times he’s saved me. I know he told me from the start that it would be dangerous, but for the first time since I stood up to Iron Will, it’s like…

I feel confident. Well, thunder still scares me (how silly—a pegasus scared of thunder, right?), but I’m facing my fears a lot more often. I think, with all I’ve seen, that

“Fluttershy?”

The scratching stopped again.

“Open the cage! I’ve got it!”

Fluttershy dropped the quill and stretched her hooves, grasping for a small steel key. I was just beginning to get dry, too. She sighed, but unzipped the tent’s single flap and stepped out into the diagonal rain. Cold raindrops pricked at her fur, though she ignored the jabs, for what her partner was dragging through the mud could have quite possibly been the most intriguing yet disgusting creature she had ever laid eyes on.

Fluttershy hated viewing any animal in such a way; it went against her nature, against the element for which she was known. She supposed its swollen purple face was not really as slimy as it looked, and that it simply had no use for ears, eyes, or a nose. The forked tongue that lolled out from between its mandibles—almost as long as its body, and subsequently, herself—was a fairly nice shade of grey, as far as greys went anyway. Maybe it really needed every one of its hundred-or-so miniature, hooked red legs? And the hundreds of foot-long, razor-sharp, retractable spines covering its back, ready to impale any potential predators—

Okay, no bones about it—this was the ugliest being Fluttershy had ever seen. It wriggled and writhed in the chains binding it, wrapped around its entire body. Some spines managed to force their way past their restraints, a mismatched thicket of white death poking up toward both tamers’ faces.

“The cage, Fluttershy.”

“Oh. Yes, of course.”

She trotted over to the side of the tent, where a six-by-eight-by-four collapsible mesh cage lay ready, a canvas draped over the top to protect its confines against the weather. Another of the creatures was already inside, huddled against the cage rear. It gave a start at the sound of Fluttershy inserting the key to a large padlock and unfurling a thick chain from around the door.

Before it could even begin contemplating an escape—assuming it knew it was imprisoned in the first place—the gruff stallion dragged his captive over and, with a mighty tug, swung it into the cage. He murmured a single choice word, and Fluttershy watched as the binding slackened, releasing its hold like an iron snake suddenly judging its victim unworthy of consumption.

While Fluttershy clicked the padlock shut again, staring at the pair of hybrids, the stallion flicked back his forehoof. Like an obedient dog, the chain snapped back and retracted until it wrapped around his foreleg like a shackle. He wiped his forehead with his other hoof and flicked his head, sweeping his lengthy brown mane over his shoulder. Water dripped from every part of his body, though how much was sweat and how much was rain, Fluttershy could not tell.

“Phew. That one suuure didn’t want to budge,” he said in his strained, nasally voice. He panted for a few seconds, leaning against a nearby tree. After a deep gasp, he stood beneath its branches and shook himself off, again brushing his mane onto his back. Catching Fluttershy’s eye, he grinned. “Well, that’s two of them. One of each gender, just like Celestia wanted.”

Fluttershy looked back into the cage, her mane held aloft by the breeze. She shivered at the sight of the creatures crawling—or slithering?—toward each other, the larger one’s spines retracting as they came closer together. Despite their ungainly appearance, she felt a pang in her heart. Those poor things, trapped in a cage together. They never asked for this…

“Shy?”

“Hm?” She shook her head and dragged her eyes away from the pair.

“You know, if what we’re doing… if it’s too much—”

“I’m fine. Really.” She forced a smile to her face. “You’ve done your job. Now it’s my turn to calm these critters down.” She gripped the key. “They shouldn’t have to suffer through this.”

“You don’t want to stay in the tent?” The stallion waved at the dark clouds. “You’ve seen how Everfree storms can get. It won’t be pretty.”

“I know, but…” She paused and bit her lip, key in hoof, ready to turn. The padlock shook in her other hoof as another thunderclap threatened to split her eardrums. “Look at them, Cratus!” she shouted over the racket. “They’re so scared.”

The rain fell harder; the winds picked up. Fluttershy stood still, shivering as the downpour flattened her mane against her shoulders and forelegs.

“Fluttershy! Get it together. You need to look after yourself first!”

She turned her head, rain streaming down her face. With a last glance over her shoulder, she sighed and dropped the padlock. Key in hoof, she fluttered back through the flap, turning to zip it up as Cratus charged through. She sat there, staring at the zipper’s teeth while the tinkle of chains sang over the flapping tarp.

“Do we have any clean towels?”

She continued staring at the flap.

“Never mind, found them. You can stop looking now. Here—”

A towel flopped over the top of Fluttershy’s head.

“Dry yourself off. You look like you stepped out of a lake.”

Fluttershy reached up and grabbed it. A couple minutes of firm rubbing distracted her from the weather while she focused on her mane, body, and wings. After lowering the towel, she looked at Cratus. He had already wrapped his mane—as long as her own—in a brown towel and draped it over his back. She watched as he ignited the three lamps hanging from the ceiling. Thunder and wind continued to rumble and roar, but the fully lit tent allowed Fluttershy to relax.

“How do you do it, Cratus?” she asked after wrapping her tail in the dampened towel. “Just treat the animals how you do, I mean.”

“Eh?” He looked up from cleaning his chain, cloth in hoof. Some kind of purple gunk hung off it, and the metal had dulled in assorted spots along its links. “How can I treat an animal like an animal? It’s really not that hard. You just have to remember what they are.” He leaned in and peered at the chain, snorting as he rubbed. “They’re beasts, Fluttershy. They’re not like ponies, or your friendly domestic pets.”

“They still have feelings, you know,” Fluttershy muttered.

“Of course they do.” Cratus spat on his cloth and rubbed harder. “Nerve endings, pain receptors—”

“You know what I mean. I could tell they weren’t comfortable. I could practically smell their fear.”

Cratus sighed, dropped his cloth, and placed a hoof over his face. A second later, he lowered it and fixed his green eyes on her. “You knew what we were getting into. I asked you all the way back in Ponyville if you wanted to join me out here. I waited until you were sure. If you’re having second thoughts, I understand, but—” he pointed at the tent flap “—I need you to be honest with me. The last thing either of us needs out there is for you to choke up and leave me, or both of us, in a compromising situation.”

“I know, but—”

Fluttershy cringed as another boom filled her ears. When it faded, she took a deep breath. “I’m still getting used to all of this, Cratus. These adventures, everything we’ve done… this is all new to me. I’ve only had to deal with vicious creatures a few times before, and all those times I had my friends beside me to help. Out here, it’s just us and the Everfree.”

“I promised your friends I’d keep you safe.”

“I know you did. I’m not worried about us!” Fluttershy flopped belly-first onto her mattress, bouncing a few times before falling still. “I’m worried about those poor porcupedes out there.”

“‘Poor porcupedes’?” Cratus laughed and resumed his polishing. “The first time you saw one, you couldn’t keep far away enough from it!”

Fluttershy blushed. “It… that one j-just startled me, that’s all! With the spines, and...” With a quick glance at her letter, she sat up and faced Cratus again. “But now, seeing them in that cage together, in this storm, I just feel… well, sorry for them.”

“Look, Shy—” Cratus paused his polishing again “—I understand. If it makes you feel any better, I’d be fine with you there, trying to calm them down, trying to get a hooves-on experience… er, maybe not literally, actually. That might kill you.” He chuckled for a second, but his serious expression returned quickly. “If it wasn’t raging outside… if they weren’t in a perfectly snug, secure, covered enclosure designed for this weather, I’d be completely on board with you. Promise.”

He reached out to touch her shoulder. “But your safety comes first. Our safety. Don’t forget that.”

Fluttershy gulped, but nodded as his hoof left her shoulder.

“Now, let’s rustle up some food, ey? What do you feel like?”

* * * * *

The storm wailed on through the night, though Cratus’ promise about the tent rang true. The lamps were turned down; only Fluttershy’s faithful candle remained lit. Curled up beneath her blanket, she smiled as she finished scratching out the end of her letter. She picked it up and pored over it, eyes squinting against onset fatigue.

Dear Everypony (and Spike),

Ever since I left Ponyville, I’ve thought about you all every day. I’ve been away for weeks now, and I miss you and all my animals so terribly. I hope everyone, and every bunny and chicken and squirrel, all of you are doing well.

I feel we’re getting closer to the end of this journey. I suppose time will tell. We’ve already captured and delivered most of the creatures that Princess Celestia asked us to. The parasprites were easy. The worst part of that one was not giving in and feeding it when it started whining at me. Oh, gosh, that was hard. It had its cute little eyes, and it was making all these cute little sounds.

Our biggest challenge came with the Canis Major. Cratus caught the other Canis Minors in traps, but the Alpha mother was too smart to fall for them. I’ve never seen an animal so riled up before. I thought for sure we wouldn’t survive that encounter, but Cratus is simply incredible. He’s fast, he’s determined, and he’s really (I mean, really) good with his chain. I’m so lucky to have such a brave pony looking out for me. I’ve lost track of how many times he’s saved me. I know he told me from the start that it would be dangerous, but for the first time since I stood up to Iron Will, it’s like…

I feel confident. Well, thunder still scares me (how silly—a pegasus scared of thunder, right?), but I’m facing my fears a lot more often. I think, with all I’ve seen, that I’m becoming a stronger pony. I haven’t lost my compassion, though. Even now, there’s a couple of very interesting critters in a cage outside. It’s raining and blowing so hard outside our little tent, and all I want to do is rush outside and comfort them. Cratus says my safety is more important than theirs, but I just can’t think that way. Not even after everything.

Well, like I said, we’re getting close. There’s only a few more creatures on the list, and then Cratus said there would be one final thing after that. He won’t tell me what it is, though, not until we finish the list and he thinks we’ve both “Proven that we’re strong enough.” I don’t know what that means exactly, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out when the time comes.

Anyway, I’m sending you all hugs and kisses. Can one of you please read this out to my animal friends too? I’m sure they’d love to know I’m doing okay. I miss you all soooo much!

Love,
Fluttershy

With a tired smile, Fluttershy dropped her quill. After tearing the page from her diary and folding it, she reached over to her saddlebag and pulled out a small vial of liquid. Careful not to squeeze the dropper too hard in her teeth, she removed the pipette and held it over the tiny, flickering candle. Applying minimal pressure, she bit down until a single drop teetered, then fell.

Emerald light filled the tent. Moving quickly, Fluttershy grabbed the torn note and thrust the corner into the flame. She averted her eyes, a foreleg over her face as a brilliant flash came and went. When she lowered her leg, the candle breathed no more, and the Everfree’s darkness closed in around her like a smothering blanket.

Fluttershy yawned and flopped again to her mattress. Although she hadn’t noticed it during her writing, Cratus’ quiet snores drifted into her ears. She glanced over to his silhouette and smiled; that she could hear him snoring meant the weather had settled, something she’d failed to notice while finalising her letter.

The porcupedes invaded the forefront of her thoughts. Surely it would be okay to just… check on them? Make sure they weren’t too stressed out?

Another quick glance at Cratus. The silhouette hadn’t moved, nor had the snoring subsided.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and flapped her wings, hovering over her mattress. Wary of the hanging lamps, she moved silently to the tent flap and grabbed the zipper at the bottom. She winced at the faint purr of teeth separating—

“Fluttershy?”

“Eep!” Wings up, she spun on the spot; Cratus’ body had risen from the dark like a bear from hibernation.

“What are you doing?”

“Um…” Heart racing, Fluttershy blushed and looked away. “G-going to, um, the little filly’s area.”

Cratus snorted. “Be quick about it then. Don’t let the timberwolves bite.”

Fluttershy nodded and finished unzipping the flap. She poked her head out—and saw the eyes.

Pairs and pairs of glowing green eyes.

“Changed your mind?” Cratus asked while Fluttershy dragged the zipper back down in one swift motion and spun to face him, breathing heavily. “I told you before. This deep in the forest, you cannot take a step outside at night without becoming dinner.”

“O-okay. I… guess I’ll just hold it until morning, right?”

“Atta girl.” Cratus collapsed back onto his own mattress. Seconds later, the snoring resumed, leaving Fluttershy in the dark with nothing but those glowing orbs burned into her vision.

Please, sweet Celestia, let them be all right tonight.

Author's Note

Yeah! My first time writing about Best Pony since Flight of the Pegasi! :yay:

So this has been dicking around in my head for a long time, and quite frankly I'm ashamed that it took so long for even a first chapter to see the light of day.
Anyway, it's here now, for you all to see and (hopefully) enjoy. Question is... should it stay?
New readers: would you like more?
Returning readers: same question, but also would you instead prefer I return to my other stories before I continue this?

Chapter One: Aubery (part one – preparations)

“Good morning, Angel. Did you sleep well?”

Fluttershy smiled at her favourite pet rabbit leaping up and down on the stool next to her bed. He gave a short squeak, but his smile soon faded as he began to tap his foot on the varnished wood.

“Breakfast time already, is it?” Fluttershy lifted her head from her pillow and stared out the window. Rainbow had told her some light rain would be scheduled for the morning – “But it should be cleared up pretty quick,” she'd said.

Fluttershy flapped her wings and lifted herself up, the blanket falling gracefully off her body and back onto her bed so well that anypony could swear she’d not even slept in it at all. With a push, the circular glass rotated, such that the scent of morning dew and wildflowers entered her nose. A few pinpricks of water tacked themselves to her fur—not an unpleasant feeling, more of a natural wake-up—as she beheld the glory of springtime.

The thumping grew louder.

“Oh, of course. Sorry, Angel. Coming right up!”

The rabbit nodded and bounded downstairs while a pair of fairy wrens flew in and settled themselves on Fluttershy’s head.

“Good morning, Silvy and Glacie. I guess you’re both hungry too?”

The twitterpated pair chirped into her ear in response.

“Come on then.”

She walked down the stairs. What a glorious spring morning. Maybe if the rain lasted longer than expected, she could curl up with a nice book, surrounded by her friends. Yes, that would be nice.

A knock at the door.

Fluttershy tensed up. Who could be calling so early, and in this rain too?

* * * * *

“See? I told you they’d be okay.”

Cratus finished his rounds of the cage as the dark Everfree morn finally relented in its deluge. “A little agitated, but nothing they won’t get over.”

Fluttershy sat upon a nearby mossy boulder, careful to avoid the mud Cratus splashed up with his passing. “I still think it would have been better to at least dig them a little trench or something. They normally live underground after all.”

Cratus sighed. “We’ve been through this, ’Shy—there was no time for that. The ground was too hard before the rain, but once it starts, you don’t want to be caught out in it.”

“I know, I know. ‘Our safety first’. But I still would have preferred it.”

A pair of mandibles clicked together, answered by another pair until the sound overrode all others.

“Hey!” Cratus flicked his chain out toward the cage; it clanged against the bars, sending vibrations into the ground. Both porcupedes fell quiet.

“Better.” Smiling, Cratus wound his chain back around his leg. “So, er, what were we looking for today?”

“Oh, the manifest. Right.” Fluttershy floated over the softened earth and through the tent flap. “Um, let’s see…” She snatched up the list and a quill from next to Cratus’ mattress, first dipping the quill in an inkpot. With paper in hoof and quill in mouth, she returned to the boulder and held it up, Cratus peering over her shoulder.

Cockatrice: 100 bits [x]

Parasprite: 50 bits x

Chupacabra: 250 bits [x]

Manticore: 300 bits [x]

Triffid: 50 bits x

Ahriman: 200 bits [x]

Porcupede: 200 bits [ ]

Aubery: 150 bits [ ]

Hydra: 2000 bits

?????: Priceless [ ]

“That’s another one down,” Cratus said while Fluttershy marked the Porcupede checkbox with an ‘x’. “Just the most dangerous ones of all left.”

Fluttershy cocked her head. “What’s so dangerous about the Aubery? It can’t be too bad, seeing as how the princess’ reward is even lower than the porcupedes.”

“Well, that’s the thing.” Cratus threw the covering back over the porcupede enclosure. “Supposedly, the bird itself is not actually dangerous, or even mildly aggressive, just difficult to find. In fact—” he smiled widely “—according to stories, only one pony’s ever seen it. It’s a beautiful bird, lithe and slim like a phoenix, except with a light-blue plumage and gold-tipped wings. The adventurer who claims to have discovered it named it after his lover, Aubergine, on account of how beautiful he claimed its singing to be.”

“Wow. How romantic of him.” Fluttershy rested her chin on a hoof, eyes beginning to mist over.

“At least, that’s what we know of it. As for the stallion, he went mad and murdered Aubergine.”

“What?” Fluttershy’s misty eyes cleared instantly. “But why? How could anypony do such a monstrous thing?”

“Nopony knows truly why he did it to this day. All anypony knows for sure is that he had an insatiable obsession with talking about the Aubery’s song. Now listen up, because this might be important.”

Fluttershy nodded, mouth shut, focused on Cratus.

“Before discovering the Aubery,” Cratus continued, “the adventurer had always been a friendly pony, well loved by his town. Wouldn’t hurt a fly. But when he returned from his journey, it was all he would talk about—how beautiful this bird’s song was. Constantly reminiscing, to the point where ponies refused to talk to him anymore. And when poor Aubergine finally cracked and told him to snap out of it or she’d leave him…” Cratus made a pop with his tongue and jerked his front hooves in opposite directions.

Fluttershy flinched away. “That’s… that’s horrible.”

Cratus nodded. “Of course, the most popular opinion among the townsfolk who tell the story seems to be that it was the bird’s song that drove him insane. Which is why—”

He squelched up to the tent’s entrance and emerged a moment later, two pairs of bulky headphones held in his teeth, and placed them onto the boulder next to Fluttershy.

“—I packed these.”

Fluttershy stared at the giant earpieces. Curious, she lifted one up into closer view, turning it around. There was a smaller cone inside the large cone, and a loose wire connected to the inner cone that hung out with what appeared to be a miniature microphone on the end.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. What do we do with these?”

Cratus pointed to one of the outer cones. “You see how this one is all around the other one? This one’s to cancel out any noise we might hear. But the wire leads to a mouthpiece, which attaches under your chin.” He picked it up and placed it onto his head, ensuring the headphones completely covered his ears. “Now, I can’t hear a thing, so you’ll have to just nod so I know you understand. Follow?”

“I think—oh. Right.” Fluttershy closed her mouth and nodded.

“Now for the mouthpiece, then. You draw the wire across the side of your face—you can bend it a little and it won’t bend back—so that the microphone sits just below your mouth. You talk into that when the phones are switched on—” Cratus tapped the left side of his phones, bringing up a small blue light “—and I’ll be able to hear your voice, and your voice only.” He tapped the headpiece again; the blue light vanished. “Got that?”

Fluttershy just nodded.

“Good.” Cratus motioned to the other pair. “Try them on.”

Trembling slightly, Fluttershy lifted up the strange contraption and lowered it onto her head, adjusting it so the earpieces fell comfortably into place. She opened her mouth and screamed her absolute loudest scream, almost loud enough for the birds on the branch above her head to hear.

Silence.

She opened her mouth a few more times, and gasped a silent gasp. What she had meant to say was, “I’m not sure I like this,” but she supposed that meant it was working properly.

Cratus tapped the side of his head.

A silent, “Um, yes,” later, Fluttershy tapped her own head in the same place.

“Different, isn’t it?” came Cratus’ high voice. “A world of complete and total silence on demand.”

Fluttershy shook her head quickly before remembering about her own wire. Once she had it in place, she spoke again.

“How in Equestria do these work?”

Cratus gave a toothy grin. “Mana batteries. There’s a high-grade crystal inside each of these headpieces that stores unicorn magic. Princess Celestia charged these to capacity with her own power, borrowed from the sun, but even so, the crystals will only work for a few hours. So we need to conserve our usage, understand?”

With that, Cratus tapped his head again; when the blue lights were extinguished, he took off his own headset, motioning for Fluttershy to do the same.

“So,” he said once she’d removed her set completely and shook her mane out, “you ready to search for one of the most elusive creatures of all time?”

* * * * *

“Hello? Who’s there?”

Fluttershy put her eye up to the peephole in her front door. A strange stallion stood outside. His coat was light grey, and he bore a brown saddle with silver and red underbuckles. His mane seemed to be tucked beneath the saddle; or maybe they just met at the same place. He wore black sandals, his rear legs each twined with what looked like bandages for tensile support instead of injury dressings. Wrapped around his right foreleg was a thick steel chain, coiled over many times.

But it was the vivid green eyes and bold black goatee that grabbed her attention. A sense of familiarity filled her, though where she knew him from eluded her at present.

The stallion rapped on her door again; he must not have heard her.

“Um, hello?” Fluttershy repeated, upping her voice. “Can I help you?”

“You are Fluttershy Posey, Ponyville’s primary animal carer and tamer?”

Even the voice tickled a part of Fluttershy’s mind. It was slightly higher than she would have expected from a stallion with his tough appearance. Wheezy, but a clear pitch, like he was actually an elder trapped in a youth’s body. Although he didn’t exactly seem that young, come to think of it—

Another knock.

“Oh, yes. Yes, I am Fluttershy. Sorry. I just don’t normally get visitors this early in the morning.”

“I don’t like to waste time,” came the reply.

“O-okay.” She opened the top half of her door, letting more sunlight stream in and giving a more clear view of her visitor.

“Good morning, miss.” He inclined his head briefly and then extended the chain-wrapped foreleg. “Cratus Wilde, at your service.”

Fluttershy slowly and wordlessly extended her own hoof, careful not to touch the steel. “Um, I’m Fluttershy. But I guess you already knew that…”

“Still nice to have confirmation,” Cratus replied as he released her hoof. He cleared his throat. “Ahem. Miss Fluttershy, I’m here today because I was told that you were Ponyville’s—and perhaps even Equestria’s—top authority on animal welfare. They say your special talent is communicating with beasts and taming them. ‘Nopony better,’ said a pink pony that I met upon arriving.”

“Oh. You must have been ambushed by—I mean met—my friend, Pinkie Pie. She’s usually the first pony to welcome visitors to Ponyville.”

“Yerrrs…” Cratus scratched his beard. “She seemed rather eager to throw me a party. Alas, I declined, asked her if she knew any animal specialists, and you were the very first one she mentioned.”

“Um… that was nice of her.” Fluttershy’s cheeks lightened in the morning sun. “So, Mister Cratus, what can I help you with?”

“I have a proposition for you. If you are the best creature expert in Equestria, you could help me a great deal.” Cratus raised a hoof to wipe away some excess moisture. “Erm, do you mind if I come in? The rain—”

Fluttershy gasped, front hooves shooting to her mouth. “I’m so sorry, how rude of me! Of course, come in, come in.” She pulled open the lower half of her door, allowing Cratus to walk in and lightly shake himself off. A small trip of mice pattered up to him, crowding around his right hoof and sniffing at the chain.

“Patients of yours?” Cratus looked down and met four pair of curious, beady eyes.

“Oh, no,” Fluttershy said as she closed both halves of her door. “They live here, like most of my other friends.”

Cratus looked around, observing the various perches, houses, nests in the rafters, and doggy beds upon which birds, ferrets, rabbits and other small rodents slept. He seemed particularly interested in the large brown bear snoozing on the couch at the back of the room.

“All of these animals are your friends? Not pets or injured patients?”

Fluttershy smiled at his bemused expression. “Every animal is my friend, and I love them all dearly. I feed them, I bathe them, I sing songs to them—” Fluttershy hovered into her seat at a small, central wooden table “—my house is like a second home to them, and they’re all welcome any time. Oh, except for Harry the bear and Angel Bunny. They live here.”

She motioned to the bear as Angel leaped up from a chair, onto the table, and then onto the top of her head—where he promptly began tapping his foot again.

Fluttershy giggled. “Yes, it is breakfast time, Angel. Hold on, I’ll fix you a nice salad. You don’t mind waiting juuust a moment do you, Mister Cratus?”

Cratus took a seat, eyes on the jackalope sleeping next to a pair of badgers. He shook his head. “Sure. And just ‘Cratus’ is fine.”

“Well in that case, just ‘Fluttershy’ is fine too.”

As Fluttershy rounded into the kitchen, Angel jumped off her head and bolted straight for the refrigerator, tapping on the lower crisper drawer.

Fluttershy hummed while she pulled out and diced up carrots, lettuces, and stewed rhubarb. The tune looped around a couple of times before Angel’s bowl was filled, and she placed it on the ground for him; Angel immediately began to tuck into the rhubarb, ignoring the lettuce.

“What do you think of Cratus, Angel?” she asked.

Angel swallowed, opened his mouth, pointed into it, and mimed gagging.

“Angel Bunny! Don’t you be so rude, or I’ll take your breakfast off you.”

Angel crossed his arms and pouted before resuming furiously stuffing his face.

“I wonder why he needs an animal expert, though. Maybe he needs a special kind of—oh!” Fluttershy’s face lit up. “The Orthros! I knew he seemed familiar.”

Angel rolled his eyes.

“Everything all right in there?” came the high voice from the main room. “I am a rather busy pony.”

“Sorry! Coming!” Fluttershy dashed through the air, coming to rest across the table from Cratus. “So, how can I help you today?”

Cratus turned his head and grasped a poster with his teeth. “This brings me here,” he said after spitting it onto the table. “It’s a bounty set by Princess Celestia herself. She wishes for a pony skilled at handling wild beasts to obtain some rare specimens in the name of research. This bounty has been public for months, and yet she told me that I was the first to respond.”

Fluttershy scanned the flyer, eyes growing wider every second. “Th-that’s a l-lot of bits there…”

“Sure is,” Cratus said eagerly. “But even though I took the job without hesitation, I would prefer not to go alone.”

Fluttershy let the notice fall onto the table. She began to quiver. “Are you… a-are you asking me to—”

“Fluttershy, from one animal tamer to another, I wish for you to accompany me on this adventure.”

Author's Note

Never again will I wait ten months before updating this story.
You guys don't deserve that. :ajsleepy: