Equestria's Kishin

Fluttershy sat quietly on the floor of the Golden Oak library. Liz, Patty, and Soul were all watching as Twilight was instructing Maka and Death the Kid on how to wield their weapons. "How long do you think this is gonna take?" whispered Soul in Liz's ear.

"Beats me. They've been at it for hours already, and all they've been able to do is make their horns glow," she replied. Soul nodded in agreement. Patty was in the corner happily coloring a picture of a cat, probably unaware of how long they had been there in the library. Soul let out a long, loud yawn. It had been a long day, and although it was for the most part uneventful, he was exhausted, and very hungry because Twilight was so caught up in teaching levitation that they forgot lunch. He noticed that Fluttershy had stayed all day, too, ever since she arrived with Rainbow Dash. He figured she must either be very polite for staying all day to watch Maka and Death the Kid practice magic, or she had nothing better to do.

"Alright you two, you look pretty tired. I think that's enough practice for today. You may not have achieved levitation yet, but you did learn the illumination spell. It's good to start somewhere!" Despite the fact that she had been lecturing them about magic all day, Twilight appeared more awake than anyone in the room, except maybe Patty, who was still coloring. Maka thanked Twilight for her time, and began to walk towards Soul, looking pleased with herself for a long day's work.

"Excuse me, Twilight, but do you have any ideas for our sleeping arrangements while we stay here?" Death the Kid asked. "We're not entirely sure how long we may need to stay here, and it would be nice to have more a more permanent place to stay." Twilight thought for a moment. It was obvious that the library wasn't terribly comfortable, so she would need to help them. She turned to Fluttershy, who was surprisingly still there.

"Fluttershy, you have an extra room at your cottage, don't you?" Twilight asked, remembering the time when Fluttershy offered to babysit the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Fluttershy responded softly.

"You're all welcome, but it's only one room, and the bed isn't very big. It's probably not very comfortable. You shouldn't bother." She hid her face behind her mane.

"I'm sure it's fine," responded Maka politely. "We'll take it."

"Great! That's settled then," exclaimed Twilight. "I hope you all don't mind animals. Fluttershy is an animal caretaker, it's her special talent." Fluttershy blushed as Twilight boasted about her talent with animals.

"That's pretty cool," said Soul. "What kinds of animals do you take care of?" Fluttershy lightened up a bit. She often came out of her shell a little more when the topic of animals was brought up.

"Oh, all kinds of animals, from hummingbirds to squirrels and bunnies, and I even have a bear at my house. Don't worry, he's a friendly bear."

"That's quite a lot of animals," Maka said, now unsure about staying at Fluttershy's cottage.

"Don't worry, They won't bother you at all," Fluttershy replied with a sweet smile. Shy as she was, she was always pleased to host guests and demonstrate her hospitality skills.

"Hey, guys, has anyone seen Tsubaki and Black Star?" Liz inquired. It had occured to her that they had been gone all day. It was at that moment when Rainbow Dash flew in the door, followed by a tired-looking Tsubaki. Black Star was nowhere to be seen.

"There you are," said Twilight. "Where's Black Star? Please tell me he's with you guys." Rainbow and Tsubaki shook their heads in response to Twilights question.

"The guy took off into the Everfree Forest," said Rainbow. "He didn't want my help, so he got all angry and ran off."

"Typical Black Star," sighed Liz. "Always too proud." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Maka. "We should go find him. Soul, Liz, Patty, you should go check out the cottage where we're staying tonight, make sure everyone has a good place to sleep. Kid and I will find Black Star. Twilight, could you direct us to the forest?"

Twilight obliged happily. "Follow me!" The three left the library at a brisk trot, and the sound of their hoofsteps faded off as they grew further away. Soul and Liz turned to Fluttershy.

"Okay, everypony, I'll go show you my cottage." Patty was still in the corner coloring, so Liz came over to direct her attention towards Fluttershy, who flew gracefully out the door, followed by the three other pegasi. Unfortunately, they were about as good at flying as Black Star, so they decided to stick to trotting along behind her. It was around 4 in the afternoon, and Ponyville was bright and sunny. Soul admired all the old-fashioned architecture of all the buildings, and how it complimented the cobblestone streets. The sky was perfectly blue, with not a cloud to be seen, and the townspeople all seemed merry in going about their lives. The air smelled faintly of cinnamon, and he turned his head to see a couple set a tray of freshly baked goods to cool on the windowsill of a building that looked like a gingerbread house. It was nothing like Death City. There were no dark alleyways, and the sun wasn't flashing a creepy smile. It was almost too happy and perfect to seem real. Soon, he found himself following the others down a dirt path through a meadow, with tall, healthy trees and beautifully grown flowers.

At the end of this path there was a two-story cottage. It emitted a very warm, friendly vibe. Fluttershy opened the door, and allowed all of her guests in. The inside of the cottage was as pleasant and inviting as the outside. The warm tones of light brown and green brought a very home-like feel to the place, and what seemed to tie it all together were the animals.

"Hello, my little friends," spoke Fluttershy softly. "I have some new friends for you to meet. They're going to be staying with us for a bit, so make sure to be extra hospitable to our guests." The animals began to flock around her, eager to meet Soul, Liz, and Patty. There were little chipmunks, a hummingbird and a blue jay,  a ferret, a bunny or two, a large brown bear, and many more.

"They're so cute!" exclaimed Patty excitedly.

"There are so many of them," Liz muttered.

"Alright, my little friends, this is Liz, Patty, and Soul. They're from another world, and they have a very special mission here in Equestria. It's up to us to make them feel at home as possible." The animals all chattered excitedly, and scurried towards the three pegasi to say hello. "Oh look, they like you!" exclaimed Fluttershy, still maintaining her naturally soft tone of voice. Soul smiled to see Fluttershy so happy about her animals. "Angel bunny, would you like to show our guests where their room is?" Angel obliged, and hopped upstairs. Liz, Patty, and Soul followed him into a room with a large bed against the wall. There was a window next to the bed, and a small shelf above.

"I'm sorry that there's only one bed, but I do have plenty of warm blankets and pillows for you to cuddle up in, as well as a couch downstairs."

"Thanks Fluttershy, this is perfect," said Soul. "I call dibs on the couch, guys!"