animal sanctuary Fluttershy's Open House (Open to all - Pet adoption, sick pets, and other pet help)

[Hippo]

 

Fluttershy had been working so hard for several weeks attempting to perfect the process of animal caring. She had never been so in love with her with ability to give comfort and understanding to animals in need around her, and her sanctuary had become world-renowned. Because of the acclaim, she had to deal with constant suggestions and queries, mostly asking for an invasion of her way of doing things, and for the ability to come in close contact with animals from all parts of the surrounding neighborhoods without having to go to a zoo. But she would typically reply in a negative tone, counter-intuitive to her usual agreeability. Even her light demeanor wasn't unable to interrupt her promise to the animals in her care, that they would be her priority over everything.

 

But, as circumstances allowed, Fluttershy understood that occasionally a good pony needs a animal to care for, and a good animal needs a pony to care for them. Such a bond could only be realized by Fluttershy herself, and she knew she wasn't the only one who liked animals. So today, she put more of her energy in an open house of sorts, a chance for ponies and creatures to experience the sights and sounds of her arena, and give them a chance to convince her as to why they are in need of a creature to care for—a tax on members of Equestria society.

 

But also, she knew there were several pet owners who needed help with their responsibilities and wanted to visit Fluttershy for some of her advice and encouragement. She hoped that Dr. Fauna would be around to help be she knew the doctor had her own, more serious situations to deal with whereas Fluttershy was focused on the outpatient care of animals that didn't need serious attention. So with the sanctuary's resources, Fluttershy hoped that any issues a pet owner would bring forward to them would be able to be taken care of.

 

It was mid-morning and Fluttershy had just opened the gate on the path to her sanctuary from the town. The gate never did a good job keeping anything in or out, but it was always seen as a sign of whether or not a pony should enter. And today, with the gate opened, Fluttershy hoped that she could use this one day to allow others a chance to find refuge or meaning in the animals Fluttershy felt deserved out attention and respect.

 

[Dusty]

Tempest marched down the dirt road to the sound of clanking metal and her own humming as a song hung in her head. It was a song not fit for singing in such public places yet she can’t help but hum along to the beat in her head. It was good for long walks and benefited her good mood. Things have on a full, been well as of late. She may even go so far as too call things ‘good’. She just can’t shake such feelings as of late. And acting on this… upward feelings she was going to talk to a mare that in most ways she found unbearable yet fluttershy was vastly better in every way to some others… Say the pink one. Be it the one with wings and a horn or nether. Both were utterly dreadful and made Fluttershy seem like a glittering beacon of enjoyment. And maybe that can be more true today. For some time she has debated about owning a pet and after much thinking felt that she’d be better off with one. She needed companionship. 

 

Stopping at the gates she eyed tham. Open now. About time. She’s cheeked four times already. Did this place really just open midday? Fluttershy it seems was no moreing mare. But it was open and that is all that matters. Walking past the open gates she looked for the yellow mare. Looking down she saw fresh tracks and just followed them until she found the mare and called out. Softly. “Fluttershy.” She says in a flat soft voice, hoping it will not spook the mare. Last thing she needed was to get her down from some tree. 

[Hippo]

 

Fluttershy heard her name shouted in a respectful way, just inside the entryway to the sanctuary from the road. It was a purple unicorn with metal coverings. Though Fluttershy knew that pony with a severed horn and scar across her face pretty well, unfortunately, just like all of the other things that terrified Fluttershy during her defies against evil with her friends she was never sure she could face them on her own. But Tempest seemed to have a light demeanor, probably from the expected trepidation coming from those who could hear her voice or see her face. "Tempest?" She asked carefully, not wanting to be presumptive. It also gave her a chance to bury her social fears. Fluttershy knew that there had been another name Tempest had gone by, but she never saw that it was appropriate to use since no one else used it. And even if she wanted to, the lack of usage in a semi-forbidden name escaped her memory. "What are you doing here?" She asked bluntly. Fluttershy would have never guessed a pony like Tempest to approach in pet-finding or even for the sake of general education in animals.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                               

 

Apple Bloom had always wanted to branch out and learn more activities that could help her on the farm. After all, she may run a pretty dang successful business helping ponies discover the meaning of their cutie marks, but she was a filly of the fields first and foremost! She knew plenty about what it took to run the farm but there was a whole lot more to it when it came to Sweet Apple Acres, seeing as it was on the edge of the Everfree forest. Many wild animals came through the Orchard and that didn't even account for how to deal with some of the more magical beasties that called the edges of the Everfree home. She always considered herself pretty well versed in dealings with such critters but after a nasty incident with a Basilisk in the Whitetail she figured she needed to learn from somepony who knew a whole heck of a lot more than her.

 

Apple Bloom had decided to look to Ponyville's premier animal pony, Fluttershy. She knew more about how to deal with animals than anypony else in Equestria, really. And while Apple Bloom knew her big sister had a wealth of knowledge herself, she reckoned that Applejack didn't have nearly as much as Fluttershy did when it came to tactics to calm a situation down. Caring for animals, dealing with animals, learning about them- Fluttershy was a resource that Apple Bloom had to tap into. So she had been coming around to Fluttershy's sanctuary to help Fluttershy out whenever and wherever she could, absorbing what she could from the pegasus. It had been fun, frustrating, smelly, dirty, and totally worth it.

 

So as she trotted into the sanctuary, full saddlebag in town, Apple Bloom was all smiles. Another beautiful day in Ponyville? You bet your flank it was! Irrepressible happiness was the tone of such a beautific day and how better to spend a day without farm work for her than helping Fluttershy out some? If there was, Apple Bloom wasn't aware of it. She trotted with a certain bounce in her step as she entered the sanctuary from the gate. "Howdy Fluttershy! Ah'm ready!" She said joyfully as she trotted by Tempest. Ponies were a forgiving sort and Applejack had told Apple Bloom all about what had happened. She wasn't sure that she would call Tempest a friend, but no reason not to be friendly. She nodded her way. "Well, fancy seein' you there! Whatcha got goin' on?"

[PyroBlaze]

Solar Flare was enjoying herself, all in all. Chasing her bird Sunny through the fields, she couldn’t help but smile and laugh. Little did she know that her feathered friend was actually leading her towards Fluttershy’s sanctuary. Luckily for her, Sunny was smart enough to lead the blind unicorn through the open gate as opposed to straight into the fence. 
 

Sometimes she wished she could see things like rocks and other non-living things the way she could see things that were alive with her magic, but that was partially why she had Sunny in the first place. Thankfully, that very magic-based sight let her avoid running into any of the ponies that seemed to be in front of her. Solar had arrived just as the filly finished speaking, but it wasn’t a voice or energy she was familiar with... speaking of, the only one she recognized looked like Fluttershy from the times they had met during her time at the school of friendship. Being the resident healer for the school, Solar had ‘seen’ the pegasus a few times. 
 

Seeing that his pony was ok, Sunny gave a goodbye chirp before flying off to play with the other birds around. Solar wasn’t too worried though, she knew he’d come back. For now, she sat down nearby the group, enjoying the nature around her and humming a happy song to herself quietly. 

[Dusty]

Tempest’s ears twitched as she looked down at the passing filly. Apple Bloom. She was a nice filly and well behaved. Mostly. She didn't mind her all too much whenever she was crashing at AJ’s place. “I’m here to learn.” She says to the filly before looking back at Shy. “I wish to have a pet. I have a need for companionship on my travels. One that can keep pace and is fine living outdoors much as I do. As such I wish to tame a Timberwolf, they have held a place in my heart for some time. Even as a filly. But I wish to take the utmost care of it. So I hope you’d know something about them to help me.” She explained in her deadpan tone. Her face blank and not betraying much in the way of how she felt.

[Hippo]

Seeing Apple Bloom pass by Tempest without batting too much of an eye assured Fluttershy that her fears could be kept away for now. She often pulled the trigger on freaking out about ponies she did not feel comfortable with, but seeing as there were others around gave her a peace of mind. "Hello, Apple Bloom. Lovely to see you today. Elizabeak should be in her coop. I know how much you love feeding her."

 

Fluttershy took in the detailed explanation from Tempest. "I... don't think timberwolves have ever been tamed." She feared she might be sounding rude. "And I don't know too much about them, but I'm sure I can try to help." Fluttershy turned her body and faced the serene landscape of the sanctuary. "Feel free to explore around a little bit. If you see a critter you like or are curious about one of them, don't be shy and feel free to ask me or Apple Bloom. In fact, I bet Apple Bloom has more experience with timberwolves than I do." She motioned to Tempest an encouraging motion to walk further into the ravine. "I'll be back with you shortly."

 

The yellow pegasus walked towards the white unicorn who seemed to have a joyous expression, but her eyes were glossed. "Hello. How can I help you? Did you come to see, I mean experience the sanctuary?"

 

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                     

 

Apple Bloom gave off a quick salute to Fluttershy. "Aye aye, Fluttershy!" Apple Bloom said energetically. She was happy to learn from Fluttershy and even happier to help her out on sanctuary. She wasn't a mare who probably needed help but it felt good for the both of them to wallow in this delightful fiction.

She made her way over to the chickens. Unlike back on the farm where the chickens were all cooped up and so feeding them was an easy enough task, the chickens at the sanctuary were free range. They waddled their way up and down and to and fro with nary a fence to keep them from trouble. Well, it wasn't always that way. But now that the sanctuary was around they had free range. Yet you couldn't really take the hen out of the henhouse, and so Elizabeak and another number of the chickens had a habit of staying in their coop, which meant it was an easy enough job to feed, them.

 

Apple Bloom trotted into the enclosure and shut the gate, carrying the feed on her back. As she approached, she took some feed out and started scattering it around the entrance. "Heeeere chick chick chick chick chick! Heeeeere chick chick chick chick!" She said after tossing a few more hoof-fulls around. Elizabeak and her friends started moving on out and, seeing the feed on the ground, started going at it. Before long there was a whole gaggle of 'em going to town on the feed! Apple Bloom slowly pet the crux of Elizabeak's neck as she ate. The chicken liked it, you could tell because of the way her breathing was relaxed and her feathers went all soft. "Why, yer a beautiful little chickadoo today, Elizabeak!"

[PyroBlaze]

The mare looked towards the sound as she heard somepony speaking to her. Seeing what she thought was Fluttershy’s energy, she smiled, though once she processed what was said she tilted her head briefly. 
 

“Oh Sunny, you sneaky bird you.” She said, laughing softly to herself before continuing. “My apologies, it seems my bird has led me into your sanctuary, probably so he could play with the other birds around here. My name is Solar Flare, it is a pleasure to properly meet you, Fluttershy. At least I hope that’s you...” The unicorn finished, sticking a hoof out to shake.

[Dusty]

“I’d be deeply shocked if in all of history no pony ever did tame one. We tamed wolves… Even the skies.” Tempest with a small glance up at the remark before fixing her eyes back on fluttershy. “But I am open to other paths. We shall see. Thank you.” She gives a small nod then trots past fluttershy and makes her way after the Filly. Odd that a filly may know more but then how can she juge? She learned much as a filly as well. Life has ways too make the young know much about this world. Sometimes unwillingly. 

 

Stopping at the chicken coop she sat down and stayed outside. Chickens can be rather early spooked by strangers and she really was not in the mood too go running after chickens that she scared. Or being attacked by some. But she did nock on it and spoke up so the filly knew she was outside. “Apple Bloom, when you have a moment I wish to speak with you. No need to rush.” She called out. With that done she looked about the land fluttershy had. It was a cute place. Too cute honestly but she did love how… out of the way it all was. Tied in to the land. She did like that a lot. One thing she and fluttershy did seem to share in full was dislike of being too close to urban life.

[Hippo]

 

As Tempest walked away from Fluttershy, she pondered what it would mean to have a timberwolf as a pet. Had anypony ever tamed one? Tempest seemed to think it was possible. Fluttershy might be inclined to trust her, as she had seen a lot of the world. Fluttershy loved the plants and trees. She really loved the animals. She never realized the reality that some critters might combine both of those worlds, and as far as she was concerned, she had more of a fondness for the creatures of the forest who had less of an ability to protect themselves. Maybe soon, a timberwolf would be added to the list of predators Fluttershy can say she bonded with. She had trained wolves to not attack her, maybe she wasn't all that far away from that reality.

 

"Solar Flare, hi! Yes, I'm Fluttershy." She blushed to herself. "You could tell from my voice, couldn't you?" By now, Fluttershy had understood she held the brand of being meek and quiet. A voice like hers, if one is listening carefully, sounds like a young filly afraid of the world, but her tone over the years had become more assertive. In a lot of ways she had a soft bossy voice. "Oh, Sunny is allowed to come and go, just like every other creature that comes to the sanctuary. As long as they respect the residence that frequent the area." Fluttershy motioned to Solar Flare to follow her, but then realize it might require more social queues. "I need to head over here to feed the snakes really quick. The little guys haven't had their breakfast, yet." As she walked towards the snake holes, she attempted to make Solar Flare feel invited. "So how is everything. Is Sunny getting the right kind of feed? Does he have plenty of little bird friends?" She giggled. "Does he have a bird girlfriend yet?"

[SteelEagle]

                                                                             

 

Apple Bloom was lost in her little world for a bit, just going about the task she had been assigned. She always enjoyed working with Fluttershy and once you got to know the animals they were real sweethearts as well. She was happy to have found a little bit of work here after the incident with the basilisk in the Whitetail Woods. Certainly helped her acclimate better with normal, everyday, not-trying-to-kill-her animals. She started to work on some side work after the chickens were fed, the pecking still ringing in her ear. She cleaned the coop a little, focusing on the areas they were likely to move around the most in. You didn't want your prize chickens to get sick because of their environment, did ya?

 

She was in the middle of wiping down a side of the coop when she heard the knock. At first she thought it might be Fluttershy but she never knocked that hard. Curiosity piqued, she looked up and out. It was Tempest? Well, that's interesting. Why in the name of stems and cores was she so interested in her right about now? Apple Bloom slung the towel over her shoulder and trotted on out to meet with the mare in a less cramped environment. "Howdy thar Tempest! Just takin' a look at some chickens?" She said before she scaled the separation between the chickens and the wider world. Not hard because of the decidedly open environment of the sanctuary! "Well, probably not, hehehhe. What can Ah do ya for?"

[PyroBlaze]

“Well, yes, voice is part of it. I have this strange ability to ‘see’ the energy of living things, and everyone looks different. It may not be all that different, but I have learned to pick up on the differences that are there.” She chuckled slightly, trying to explain her unique situation. Or at least unique as far as she knew. “I suppose it is just one of the benefits of being a unicorn, I don’t think I would be able to do this if I were a pegasus.”

 

Following Fluttershy over towards the snakes, she giggled at the last question. “I am sure Sunny will behave himself, he’s a good bird. As for feed, he seems to like it, so I suppose it is good in his opinion. I am sure he has made plenty of friends, I watch him play sometimes, but I have not noticed anything I would call romantic behavior. Of course, I am not always around him, so maybe he does and I just don’t know about her.” She giggled again at the thought of Sunny having a girlfriend, hoping that if he did, she was good to him. 
 

“As long as I am here though, is there anything I can help you with? I am quite good with healing magic, or just diagnosing the problem.” Solar offered, smiling over at Fluttershy. 

[Dusty]

“Greetings Apple.” Tempest says as she stands up as the filly makes her way out the coop. “And yes, I am not here to look at chickens. I have been told you are the best to speak with on the topic of Timberwolves. I wish to tame one as a pet and companion. I believe it can be done but wish to engage others in the topic first. Flutter Shy insisted you be the one I talk with.” She explained in that ever so dry and blunt tone she has gotten known for. She did wonder more if Flutters was just running her off out of fear but hoped it was not. She has been thinking about this for some time… years now. 

 

“So still me filly, what do you know about wolves of wood? So far books have been lacking, made by fussy unicorns that never put one hoof in the woods they speak of. In truth I'd sooner believe you on the topic over them. You, unlike them, have been in the woods… rather often it seems.” She says learning her head to one side as she thinked about something, before waving it off in her own mind. “I respect you for that.”

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                          

Taming timberwolves? Umm. Well, she wasn't sure that was possible, or at least very feasible. They were magical creatures. It was hard to just survive them or fight them. Raising them? Hmm. That would be rather difficult. "Huh. A Timberwolf? An' Fluttershy told you ta talk ta me 'bout that?" She asked as she looked up quizzically. She walked towards a snake that was having trouble fitting under a rock to get into its little hidey hole and lifted the rock up. "Ah mean...it'd be real hard but Ah reckon Fluttershy told you that already. Figure you'd need ta get a pup. An' Ah mean, that's gonna be tough. They run in packs and they have good, long memories. A momma timber once tracked mah sister and lil' nephew ta tha barn after he picked up a stick that turned out ta be part of her pup's leg. An tha pup'll have that same long memory, so it'll be hard to get one and not have it hate you. After that..." She shrugged. 

 

"Ah mean, it's a real big wolf. Wild, violent. Ah'm sure ponies have tamed wolves...well, ta some extent. Ah'm also sure ponies have been eaten by wolves that they thought they tamed. Plus you gotta get a handle on their wild magic," she said as she finished, looking down to see the telltale tongue of an appreciative snake slithering its happiness before she gently lowered the rock down. "Ah've been in the woods plenty, that's real true. Certainly beats just bein' on tha farm everyday," she said with a laugh. "But Ah've got a question. Why a Timberwolf?" Apple Bloom asked, though she could venture a few guesses as to why. And only a few of them involved their legendarily good soothing howls at night.

[Hippo]

Fluttershy heard Solar Flare clearly. She seemed in good understanding of her relationship with her pet. It was good to see. Not everypony understood that sometimes pets needed some time away from their pony partners. Fluttershy hoped that Sunny had been exploring his more mature inspirations of companionship as doing so would indicate a healthy relationship with the animal community around him. She kept walking towards the snake homes and then commented on Solar's desire to help with anything requiring medical stimulation. "Oh thank you. I think most of the animals here are kept well and sometimes they need a bandage here or there, but nothing too catastrophic."

 

Fluttershy bent down and poked her head into a snake hole. "Are you hungry, Monty? It's been eighteen hours since your last meal." She removed her head from the hole  and grabbed a bag of snake meal, which looked like miniature bread rolls, but was actually a balanced vegetarian-based diet viable for snakes. Like all predators, Fluttershy would not allow any animal to eat any other animal while in the safety and confidence of the sanctuary. This was easily said but sometimes difficult to enforce, as many critters who are used to eating more protein-rich diets might find themselves losing weight and energy while under Fluttershy's care. But typically, the trade-off was worth any therapy the animal needed from the yellow pegasus.

 

 

As Fluttershy tossed some snake treats to the snake that would eventually come out of his hiding place, Angel Bunny came hopping very fast towards Fluttershy with a sincere amount of urgency. He plopped in front of her to get her attention and began motioning to her with his paws. She answered to him out loud. "What? Jessicat fell from a tree? She was trying to, WHAT!?" Fluttershy picked herself up by her wings and started flying towards the area where Angel was leading her. At the base of a tree, she could see a gray cat writhing in pain. "Oh, what happened?" Fluttershy immediately started talking calmly to the animal. As she inspected the feline, she noticed right away that her left rear leg seemed to have broken, and was going to need splinting and wrapping. "Angel, go get my med kit." Angel saluted and hopped away.