Fluttershy was carrying Rarity’s white cat Opalescence in a carry cage as she entered Ponyville proper. She waved to a few ponies on her way to the Carousel Boutique, she opened the door with a smile “Rarity, I…”

Rarity forced a smile “I’m sorry about the mess, Sweetie Belle tried to help e with work but it got a little out of hoof.”

Fluttershy smiled “It’s okay, I brought Opalescence back.”

Rarity smiled taking the cage letting out the grumpy cat “I don’t know how you do it dear, Opal as much as I love her scratches me whenever I get close.”

Fluttershy sighed “You were too soft on her when she was a kitten, cats are really dependent on their owners to make it clear that they are the boss early. I am simply reminding her that I am in charge.”

Rarity sighed “Well I guess it …” she smiled as two fillies entered the building “Scootaloo, Apple Bloom I’m sure you're here to meet with Sweetie Belle for the sleepover. I sent upstairs while I cleaned up this mess.”

Fluttershy smiled as the other two members of the recently formed Cutie Mark Crusaders headed upstairs to meet the other member of their group “I’ll be happy to assist you.” With the two ponies quickly getting to work, it didn’t fake long for the room to be spotless.

Rarity sighed “I have a lot of work to do, I have twenty robes lined with golden silk to make and…” Her eyes widened as the three fillies came downstairs wearing red capes with blue shields with a golden filly in each “You have used up all of the golden silk! I’m going to have to work all night to make more so I have can’t the three you over tonight.”

Fluttershy smiled “I can take care of the three of them, it will help keep the three of them out of trouble.’

Rarity frowned “Are you sure you can take care of them, they are a hoofull?”

Fluttershy giggled as the three fillies looked at her with big smiles “I’ve heard of their antics but rest assured I will keep them safe while you do your work.”

Rarity smiled “Thanks Fluttershy, I’d love to chat but I have a lot more work to do now.”

Fluttershy nodded “I’ll see you tomorrow after your done” she then grinned at the three fillies “in the meantime I need to get Ponyville’s resident troublemakers back home.”

The three fillies too excited about the sleepover didn’t think too much on her words. As the three fillies were giggling, Gilda waved “Fluttershy, I see your taking care of Ponyville’s personal disaster squad.”

Fluttershy smiled “I take care of unruly animals all the time, three hyperactive fillies will be nothing compared to that.”

Gilda smiled “Well if your sure then I’ll leave you too it.” Gilda headed off as as Fluttershy headed back to her cottage with three crusaders in tow.

Fluttershy smiled as they entered “So what do you three fillies want to do?’

They exclaimed “We want to go crusading!”

Apple Bloom smiled “How about we go to the Everfree Forest? There has to be a ton of stuff we can do in there that we can’t do in Ponyville.”

Fluttershy frowned “I’m afraid I can’t allow that, there Everfree is full of dangerous creatures. Sunset and maybe Rainbow Dash are safe but that’s only because both are trained fighters.”

Sweetie Belle shuddered “I don’t want to get eaten.”

Scootaloo grinned “Nonsense, we better than that we are going to be Cutie Mark Creature Catchers!” Fluttershy sighed as Scootaloo began chasing Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom around the room, she grimaced as they knocked over the round wooden table breaking it “Do you realise you broke my table?”

Sweetie Belle drooped “I’m sorry.’

Apple Bloom smiled “Ah’m sure we can fix it together.” The three shouted in unison “Cutie Mark Carpenters!”

Fluttershy watched in a mix of confused fascination and horror as the three fillies made strange warped object that didn’t in anyway resemble a table. She took a deep breath “Alright I think you three need to go to bed.”

She gave them a fierce look that told them that there was no questioning her decision, the three went to bed only to hear clucking outside. Apple Bloom frowned “Ah don’t mean to bother ya but that sounds like chickens.”

Fluttershy sighed “I’ll go and put them back in their coops, in the meantime I want you three to be getting some sleep.”

As Fluttershy went out and guided the chicken back into their coop the crusaders saw a single chicken heading into the Everfree Forest. The three silently nodded to each other as they pretended to be asleep. Fluttershy entered the room and smile when she saw the three fillies sleeping, she then went downstairs and laid down on her couch quickly descending into slumber.

The Crusaders grinned as they whispered “Cutie Mark Crusaders Chicken Catchers, yay.” They used the bedsheets to climb out the window.

Twenty minutes later Fluttershy woke up as she got a bad feeling, she galloped up the stairs to see the bed was empty. She leapt out of the window in a fierce gallop towards the Everfree Forest “I should have checked more thoroughly, what if they have gotten hurt?” She shook her head “Don’t think like that, you have to find them.”

Meanwhile the Crusaders were looking around, Scootaloo “How had can it be to find a chicken?”

Apple Bloom frowned “I don’t know Scootaloo, it should be quite easy as chickens aren’t exactly quiet.”

They entered a clearing only to gulp as they saw a chicken laying on the ground turned to stone, They turned around to see a chicken like creature with a serpentine body staring at them, they feel their hooves growing stiff as they couldn’t turn away from the creature only for Fluttershy to jump in front of them staring at the beast in a cold fury. The three crusaders returned to normal only to see Fluttershy's legs turning to stone.

Fluttershy growled “You will leave us alone right now, Cockatrice!” The Cockatrice continued to meet her gaze for several seconds, it had to meet her gaze for several seconds as it started to sweat, it then squawked running off.

Scootaloo was about to shout when Fluttershy put a hoof in her mouth with a frown “I’m disappointed in all of you, the Everfree Forest is dangerous. I told you no earlier and you did it anyway. I’m going to tell your sisters and Rainbow Dash about this.” The three fillies looking down sadly as they returned to the cottage.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.