A Change in Strategy

A small wooden gate, warmed by the sun, swung gently open in the late afternoon.

Stratus Fairweather wandered slowly into the massive garden beside the little house. Right now, only the evergreen flowers bloomed in the crisp, winter air. A soft humming drifted through the morning's chill, warming the bones and calming the spirit.

"Miss Fluttershy?" Stratus called, and her query was met with a yelp. Immediately the music stopped, and more than a dozen lightly armed fuzzy critters appeared from the foliage surrounding Stratus. Bunnies, mice, bees, all wielding some kind of hardened beating implement. A small white bunny stepped forward and gave her what Stratus was sure was a once-over before nodding to itself and gesturing. The other animals began to advance.

"Um... Miss Fluttershy?!" Stratus said again with slightly more alarm in her voice.

"Angel!" a soft, slightly husky voice, rang clear through the underbrush, and every beast of field and leaf stopped in their tracks.

The rabbit, however, seemed nonplussed, and simply turned with an aggravated expression to face its master.

Fluttershy was a beauty, no two ways about it. The soft yellow of her fur and the light pink of her perfectly styled hair went exceedingly well together. Her long limbs were graceful, rather than gangly, and her teal eyes sparkled with hints of deeper blue in the sun.

She strode forward, step surprisingly confident on her home turf, Stratus had heard the young pegasus could be flighty.

The young mare glared at her animal companion, who seemed unphased by her admonishment. The rest of the animals, however, backed off. Fluttershy looked up and gave Stratus a radiant, if abashed, smile, "Sorry about that. They can be protective of me sometimes, but you don't seem like a bad pony."

"I'm not, promise!" Stratus said with a light chuckle, "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Fluttershy, my name's Stratus! Stratus Fairweather."

Fluttershy blinked a few times, "Fairweather... as in... the Cloudsdale Fairweathers?"

Stratus nodded eagerly, "The very same! I didn't expect anyone here to know about my family."

The sweet mare smiled softly, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet a fellow Cloudsdalien, Stratus. And please, just call me Fluttershy. Mrs. Shy is my mother."

Stratus nodded, "Of course, Fluttershy."

They both stood, slightly awkwardly, after the initial greeting. Neither of them were quite sure which should speak next.

Stratus was about to take the lead when she felt a tug in her gut. Some instinct told her it would be a mistake to speak first here, so she simply waited for Fluttershy to be ready and enjoyed the lovely garden scenery.

"So," Fluttershy finally said, "What brings you all the way out here today?"

Stratus smiled and replied, "Well... I don't know if you heard, but a few days ago the town was attacked by a Manticore."

Fluttershy's jaw dropped, and her eyes went wide, "What?"

Stratus hastened to placate the mare, "Everypony's okay! Nopony was seriously injured. Honestly the worst was-"

Stratus blushed hotly as she thought of the "most injured" pony, and cleared her throat, "A-anyway, the point is: I need your help to make sure something like that doesn't happen again."

Fluttershy, who had started tracing a little bunny in the dirt with her hoof, asked, "My help? But... what can I do?"

Stratus replied, "Well, I hear you're an expert on the botany and animals of the Everfree forest. Rumor has it that even you and Zecora have been spending more time together lately!"

Now it was Fluttershy's turn to blush, though hers was less scandalous and more demure, "Well, that's really neither here nor there."

"On the contrary, Fluttershy, I believe you have the skillset I need. Look, all I am asking you to do is come to my shop and take a look around at the plants and animal parts. I need to know if anything else there could pose a danger that I just don't know about!"

Turning to the side, Stratus said with real embarrassment, "We don't get many manticores in Cloudsdale... I had no idea how aggressive they could be."

The morning air drifted between them once again, and Stratus shivered slightly. She felt better than normal, but her constitution was still battered by the cold.

Fluttershy's expression softened from trepidation to concern, "Oh! Why don't you come inside? It's a little chilly out here."

Stratus smiled warmly, "Thank you, Fluttershy!"

The mare's home was, in a word, cozy. Hardwood floors, a central fireplace, rugs, couches, and pillows. The air was pleasantly hot and thick with the smells of breakfast. Fresh coffee and bacon still sat, unfinished, on the table, and a few dishes sat near the sink.

"Sorry about the mess," Fluttershy said, ducking her head, "I... don't get a lot of visitors."

Stratus picked one of the larger chairs to settle into. She once again cursed her larger than standard frame for making chairs so awkward, "Not a problem, Fluttershy! Celestia knows my shop isn't as clean as it probably should be. But, well, being in the hospital will do that to you."

Fluttershy's head spun around with concern, "The hospital? You weren't stung by that Manticore, were you?"

Stratus quirked an eyebrow curiously, "No, why?"

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief, "Because I really can't handle another creature melting into my floor."

Stratus was at a loss for words for some time after that.

Eventually, after tea had been made and cookies consumed, the topic moved back to what Stratus wanted.

"So," Fluttershy said, pondering the offer, "You want to pay me just to... do a safety inspection?"

Stratus nodded vigorously, "You're one of the best botanists and naturists in Ponyville! Probably the best," Stratus noticed a slight blush color the yellow mare's freckled face at the comment, "not to mention that you're an Element of Harmony! Having your seal of approval on the place would definitely help makeup for... weeell, the public disaster I caused."

Fluttershy giggled a laugh, and actually snorted. It was extremely adorable.

"Pardon me," she said after her giggle fit was done, "I see your point. Sure, I can come into town and give it a look. I'd like to do it in the early morning, though, when not a lot of other ponies are around. It's not that I don't like them! Crowds just make me..."

"Anxious?" Stratus supplied, "Exhausted, frantic?"

Fluttershy blinked in surprise, "Yes! How did you know?"

Stratus shrugged, "I have a... medical condition. Crowds are bad for me too."

This time, the silence that followed was not an awkward one. There seemed to be a genuine connection between the two young mares, sitting quietly in a little house by the woods

"I'm glad I met you, Stratus," Fluttershy said, unprompted, "you seem like a good pony. I hope we can be friends."

Stratus smiled, and felt a slight twinge in her side, "If you'd like to be, then we already are!"

Fluttershy grinned back at her, and the two finished their tea in companionable silence.