Fluttershy's Nature Show, Season Two

"This isn't going to be a repeat of the hydra situation, is it?" asks Rarity, panning around to look at the landscape. "Rainbow's only just come out of the hospital. I wouldn't want to be the next one just because Twilight refused to film, again."

"What happened with Rainbow was an accident. I'm not doing anything dangerous until next week, and Twilight keeps assuring me that they're not dangerous or scary."

"What dangerous, scary thing are you covering next week?"

Fluttershy shivers. "I'd really rather not talk about it. Can we just focus on what we're supposed to be doing this week?"

Rarity tilts the camera to scan the ground. "I'm not seeing them anywhere, dear. Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"It's just a little further. We're pretty close, now. If we spot them, great, if not, I know where they'll be."

They pass through some thick shrubs and into a more open area, looking very warm and filled with yellow grass. As Rarity pans around the area, it looks very hilly and arid. Not big hills, or anything like that. Small hills, like sand dunes. "I thought deserts were supposed to be hot," she proclaims.

"It's not a desert," clarifies Fluttershy. "It's still a plain, it's just... filled with sand from beneath."

"So, with enough wind, the surface of this place can roll?"

Fluttershy shakes her head. "It'd probably rip the grass out, first..." As they crest one of the hills, Fluttershy points to a hole in the ground. "There's a burrow. Come on, Rarity."

They make their way down to the burrow, and rather than sticking the camera in there, Rarity opts to stand back a fair distance.

"Hi," smiles Fluttershy into the hole. "Sorry to bother you, but would you mind coming out?"

No response seems to come.

"Sure. Not a problem. It's the least I can do after waking you up."

She reaches her hand into the hole, and something long and black wraps around her arm, sliding up to her shoulder before its forked tongue wiggles out of its mouth to tickle her ear.

Rarity gasps and shrieks, jumping backwards. "You never told me we'd be dealing with snakes! Gross, gross, gross!!"

"Oh, Rarity, they're not that bad. Most of them keep pretty clean."

"They rub their bellies through the dirt and they don't use soap. "Clean" requires soap and water, and maybe a good scrubbing."

"Opalescence just requires a good brushing," argues Fluttershy.

"Yes, but Opalescence doesn't go traipsing around in the mud. She has more good sense than that."

The snake is now up on Fluttershy's shoulders, wrapped loosely around her neck, with its tail drifting down between her breasts. "She does, I'll give you that. But Hisshel, here, just shed his skin not too long ago, so he's fresh and clean as a daisy."

"A daisy that's been rolling around in the dirt," corrects Rarity.

"Most daisies do grow in dirt," reminds Fluttershy. "Most flowers, too."

"Most flowers aren't slimy, either."

Fluttershy furrows her brow. "Rarity, do you think snakes are slimy?"

"They are, aren't they?"

Fluttershy shakes her head and steps closer. "Rarity, you need to touch the snake."

"Oh, nonono..." She chuckles, taking a step back. "I just had my nails done. It's straining enough to push such small buttons without scratching the polish. I'll just hold the camera, thank you."

Fluttershy steps closer again. "Rarity, you need to touch this snake. Trust me, he's safe."

"He's gross!"

"He's not slimy, he's not dirty, he's not even sandy. He's smooth, shiny and clean."

"I can see that he's shiny," states Rarity. "Shiny usually indicates wet and slippery."

"Are your nails wet and slippery?"

They both go silent as Fluttershy looks directly into the camera. No one, not even the snake, moves.

"There's a small baggie of wet wipes in the camera bag."

Rarity sighs. "Fine..." Her left hand comes into frame, her index finger extends toward the copper head of the snake, just barely touching its nose. As soon as she does, though, the snake lunges forward, wedging its whole head into her hand. She balks and jumps backward, but as she inspects her hand, going over both sides, she realises that the snake is, in fact, very dry.

"He's not... slimy..."

Fluttershy smiles. "This is why I started the show in the first place; to teach our viewers things about animals. See? You learned something, today."

"Why did he lunge at me, though?"

"I guess he likes you. Do you want to hold him?"

"I'm holding the camera."

"It has a tripod."

There's a moment of silence as Rarity considers the offer. "Just for a minute?"

"Just for a minute."

"And if I tell you to take him away, you will?"

"Right away."

"He's not poisonous, is he?"

Fluttershy scratches her head. "You're not... You're not thinking of eating him, are you?"

"No! But I don't want him to bite me and put me in the hospital, either."

Fluttershy tosses her head back and grimaces. "You mean, "is he venomous?" No, he's not venomous. And he's very friendly."

Rarity extends her hand again, and Hisshel coils around it, climbing up to her shoulder, then wrapping down around her waist as Fluttershy takes the camera and sets up the tripod.

"My," chuckles Rarity nervously. "His scales do make for a fine belt."

"Please don't say things like that," urges Fluttershy. "I don't want somepony to come skin him to make a fashion accessory."

Rarity shakes her head. "I would never! But I might just make something that looks like him, but is ethically sourced. No snake killing at all. Don't you think it would look quite nice if I could manage to do so safely?"

Fluttershy thinks for a moment, then nods. "I suppose if it doesn't hurt any snakes, then it's fine. But if you were to do that, I'd think you'd look better with a diamondback than an indigo snake."

Rarity's eyes open wide, and she slowly turns her head to look at Fluttershy.

"What?"

"Did you just say "diamondback?""

"Yeah, it's another species of snake. They're commonly hunted for their skins. If you could make fake skins that look as good as the real ones, th--"

"I can make thousands!" gushes Rarity.

"Oh. I was going to say you could save thousands of lives--"

"And make hundreds of thousands of bits in the process! Why, everypony will be wearing a faux diamondback belt come autumn!"