“Oh gosh, that's a scary punishment, Fluttershy,” Glinda said, wincing.
Fluttershy smiled a shook her head with an assuring smile, and said, “Oh, don't worry, Angel wasn't hurt. I'd never do that to him” but it was her job to have lessons taught. “I just had to remind Angel that harmful pranks are not permitted.” If a prank such as an exploding muffin were to happen again, she'd just have her other animal friends like Harry the bear or Luca the wolf scare the tar out of him.
Glinda could only imagine, but she couldn't shake the urge to ask, “Wasn't it an accident?”
Fluttershy nodded, confirming her thoughts, “Oh yes, it was an accident, but it was an accident that harmed Scootaloo,” she swerved a spoon in her tea that she was holding, having a somewhat protective and saddened look at she glanced at her reflection in the tea. “I can tolerate mild pranks, but pranks like that is when I draw the line.”
She sighed softly. She loved her pet, but she can't have him pulling any more pranks now that Scootaloo is in their lives. There were many sacrifices, but those sacrifices gained new attributes. She knew some of her animal friends still haven't gotten used to Scootaloo, but progress wasn't that easy; for the most part. She still couldn't believe Scootaloo adapted rather easily to her new home and playing with some of the animals. It still baffles her, but she couldn't be any more proud.
“So what happened to him after that accident?” Glinda asked curiously.
Fluttershy smiled and chuckled softly, yet sounded a bit deviously too, “I had some of my other animal friends give him a scare tactic,” she wasn't gonna say which animal but it was enough to give an answer. “He learned his lesson after that.”
The little griffon blinked and looked at the window leading the backyard. Unfortunately for Fluttershy, Glinda was curious to know what creature scared Angel. She didn't see any other animals aside from that... big.. monster outside...
Glinda shook in fear as she looked back to Fluttershy, and asked, “D-Did you use that big, scaly monster to scare him?”
Fluttershy took a moment to think of what Glinda meant. It didn't take long as she gasped and quickly shook her head, “Oh no, Glinda. Varan wasn't around when the incident happened.” She tried to reassure the little griffon, noticing the frightened and paranoid glance. Whatever Varan did to scare her, he did a good job. She didn't know if Varan intended to scare her or not; all she knew was the story Scootaloo told her.
“Oh, okay,” Glinda said as she slowly calmed down.
Fluttershy looked at Glinda concerned. Having been through that ordeal, there was no doubt in her mind Glinda was gonna tell Gilda about it; she was starting to get nervous again. What if Gilda took it the wrong way and blamed her for everything? Would she attack her and Scootaloo? These thoughts were clawing at her like a cat with a scratch post. She didn't know what to do once Gilda shows up. But then something clicked once she focused on what the little griffon was looking at before. Fluttershy looked to see the back door and immediately realized Glinda was scared of.
A soft chuckle and warm smile appeared as Fluttershy looked back at Glinda, “Glinda?” the timid griffon looked up at Fluttershy with a confused, yet adorable, look. “I know what you might be thinking: Are you scared of Varan?” she asked with a soft, non-pressured tone.
It wasn't a big response, but Glinda shyly tucked her head against her tuft of fur before slightly nodding to her, and barely said, “Y-Yes, he's very... s-scary.”
Fluttershy can vouch for that. When Varan first came into the picture, she had a tough time getting used to the big lizard and always thought he would attack and devour any of her other animals. She was thankful he didn't, somehow. In fact, looking at him reminded her of those creatures that once roamed Equestria 65 million years ago; but that was not the case. Varan was not one of them and he was here with them. Glinda has every right to be scared of him and she understood, but not when it comes to Scootaloo. Varan is Scootaloo's pet and has been since day one. The first two days had been rocky with how Varan would growl at her daughter and claw at her a few times.
She almost had a heart attack when she remembered Varan chomping down on Scootaloo's tail and hoisting her up like how a bat would hang upside down. She heard Scootaloo scream but turn into a laugh after. She would've gotten in there to save her daughter but Varan didn't move a muscle. He just stood there and let Scootaloo swing as he held. He placed her down afterward, but that was still a dangerous thing for him to do, maybe? Varan was a mystery to her. Then again, befriending an animal was a piece of cake to Fluttershy and seeing Scootaloo bond with a huge komodo dragon was a really impressive step up to her; albeit a scary step up at that. But she was proud, worried and hesitant, but proud. She thought a ferret or parakeet would've been a great start, but it didn't go as planned. Scootaloo wanted something big and extreme, so she got it.
Fluttershy gently placed a hoof on Glinda's head and caused Glinda to look at a soft smile and a kind face, “I know he seems scary, but I can assure you he won't hurt you.”
Glinda was still unsure about that. She knew Fluttershy would handle animals, but surely not an animal like that, “H-How do you know?” Glinda asked.
“You're not hurt are you?”
“N-no.”
“There you go,” Fluttershy removed her hoof and chuckled as Glinda blinked a few times before letting out a tiny chirp. A smile slowly formed as she looked at the element of kindness.
“Y-You're right,” she looked back at the back door with a little smile, believing what Fluttershy said. “He didn't hurt me at all.”
“He just scooped you up with his snout and lent you to me and Scootaloo. He didn't do anything after that,” Fluttershy revealed getting an amazed, sparkling look from the little griffon. Fluttershy smiled again, d'awwing mentally.
“That's a relief,” Glinda said before feeling something crawl on her right haunch. She looked down and saw a light brown fuzzy thing with eight gray legs crawl on her. It stopped as Glinda looked at it curiously and confused; eight red eyes shot open and blinked in unison.
Glinda widened her eyes and her face went paler than her fur. A large spider crawled on her.
Fluttershy saw the spider and smiled before hearing Glinda squeal and jump faster than Rainbow Dash's take offs and land in her arms. Fluttershy held her as the spider flipped 360 and landed on its legs with perfect footing.
“S-s-spider!” Glinda cried as she pointed at it only to hear a little laugh from Fluttershy. Glinda looked up at Fluttershy confused.
“Oh, don't worry. That's just Mr. Fuzzy Legs,” Fluttershy said as Mr. Fuzzy Legs waved a friendly front leg at them. “He won't harm you either. He's a Tarantula. And Tarantulas are very friendly.”
Glinda just looked at Mr. Fuzzy Legs as if she saw a demon and thought Fluttershy was nuts. In what world does she think spiders are friendly? Glinda wasn't a fan of spiders. Their eight eyes and how they moved around was very unsettling to her. And seeing a spider as big as Mr. Fuzzy Legs was not helping her ease her fear.
“Hello to you too, Mr. Fuzzy Legs.” Fluttershy greeted.
Her hunches might be right, either Fluttershy was secretly the bravest mare in the world or she was the craziest pony she's ever met in her life. Glinda couldn't tell. She just kept her eyes glued to the spider until she and Fluttershy saw him pointing to the back door.
“What is it, Mr. Fuzzy Legs?” she looked at her arachnid friend as he gestured as best he could to her. Though Fluttershy figured it out rather easily, “Angel and five other animals are near Varan?” That was odd. Most of the animals around her cottage tend to stay away from Varan; well, maybe except for Harry, but she has no idea if they met or not. This peaked her curiosity as she gently placed Glinda down, much to Glinda's dismay.
Mr. Fuzzy Legs jumped on Fluttershy without causing her to flinch. Glinda just sat there as she saw that, wishing she hadn't.
“Glinda, would you like to meet some of my other animal friends?” Fluttershy asked out of the blue.
The little griffon hesitated, seeing that Fluttershy might have more animals she would probably see in her nightmares. She thought Varan and Mr. Fuzzy Legs were scary monsters, but the possibilities of more were actually frightening. She looked away in thought before looking back to see Fluttershy with an assuring smile. Maybe she was overthinking things.
Glinda smiled a bit and nodded to the kind mare, and said with a quick chirp, “Okay.”
Fluttershy nodded back to her as she said, “Just stay by my side, alright? I'll make sure to let them know you're not used to them.” Glinda just nodded as she walked by her side. Mr. Fuzzy Legs crawling to the other side of Fluttershy so he would not scare the guest.
They walked to the back door as Fluttershy opened it. The sun was shining brightly on them but they still headed out. When their vision's cleared, they looked ahead but didn't expect to see a strange but surprising result. Fluttershy's friends' pets were in her backyard playing with Angel and Varan.
“Um, Fluttershy? Are those your animal friends?” Glinda asked confusedly.
“N-Not at all. Those animals belong to my friends,” Fluttershy said as Glinda gasped a little before hooking her gaze back onto them. When did they get here? Fluttershy looked on in confusion for a second before shrugging it off. It didn't matter anyway. Just like her other animal friends, Winona, Tank, Opal, and the others were always welcomed here. But it still baffled her why they aren't scared of Varan. Either way, if they aren't scared, why question it?
Fluttershy giggled as she looked to Glinda, “Come on, I'll go introduce you.” Glinda chirped excitedly as she and Fluttershy headed to the animals...
… until Varan caught sight of them.
“Finally, almost home,” Scootaloo said, happy that the grocery shopping was done and excited to go back and hopefully see if that griffon is awake. That whole ordeal with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon really didn't go so well for her. Then again, when has anything with been good with those two?
Tree Hugger chuckled as they walked away from Ponyville, “Excited are we?” She probably had a few guesses, but she'll let the little filly talk. Her aura was brimming with positive vibes.
“You bet I'm excited. I can make a friend and have her play with me and Varan.”
The smile on Scootaloo's face said it all. Though to her surprise, Scootaloo expressed herself a lot more than her mother does. Sometimes she would keep to herself, but she was improving as time progressed. That was one difference between the two. Must be traits of the father. She then worried. Not because of a horrific event that might not happen, but because someone was willing to make it happen.
“So, what are you planning to do once you see Glinda?” Tree Hugger asked curiously so she could take her mind off of her thoughts.
Scootaloo thought about that for a moment, “Huh? Good question.” She was excited to play and make friends with Glinda but never thought of what they were gonna play.
“Maybe tag, hide and seek, or – wait,” a huge thought just occurred to her the moment they reached the small bridge to the cottage. Tree Hugger looked at her confused. “I think Glinda might still be scared of Varan. He did make a scary entrance after all.” Though she knew he couldn't help it since his size is nearly on par Celestia's size.
Tree Hugger shook her head and cracked a little, assuring smile, “I think you have nothing to worry about, little shy,” she said receiving an odd look from Scootaloo.
“Little Shy?”
As if she hadn't heard Scootaloo, Tree Hugger continued, “I believe your mother has that covered.” She nodded to herself, “With all the time she had, she would've buffed that griffon's mind so she would not fear the animal.” Whether big or small that looked terrifying to other ponies, her friend would always find ways to make sure animals of any kind would not mean harm to ponies; though a rogue one is a different story.
Scootaloo was having a hard time believing that. Her mother may have helped other ponies and animals, but she's never helped a griffon before; neither as herself, but she was willing to try.
“If you say so, Tree Hugger,” She said as she walked up to the cottage with the groceries. As they did, they were unaware of two other figures following them in the sky.
The door closes as Rainbow Dash and Gilda land right as it did.
“Aw man, so close,” Rainbow Dash said slightly disappointed in herself. “If only we made it earlier.”
Gilda chuckled and rolled her eyes, “Does everything have to be a race with you, Dash?”
“Not all the time,” Gilda raised a brow at her. Rainbow Dash smiled innocently but came clean, knowing Gilda wasn't going to buy any of it, “Okay, almost all the time.”
“I thought so,” Gilda teased as Rainbow Dash lightly and playfully punched her arm before she curiously glanced at the cottage in front of them.
“So, this is Fluttershy's place?”
“Yup, this is the place.” Rainbow Dash said before chuckling. “Not as awesome as my home, but it's nice.”
Nice is putting it lightly. Gilda didn't know what to say about it. This was her first time seeing it and she had to admit it was more bizarre looking than the rest in Ponyville. She thought they were somewhat alright with colorful roofs and decorative plants, but it mostly bland to her. Heck, homes like hers were nest-like and very comfortable for perching; it was almost themed in a way. But Fluttershy's home looked nothing like her old home and the homes in Ponyville. This cottage had tile tan chimney with two birdhouses on it, a roof with dozens of leaves to make it look like a giant bush or shrub, four or five windows, another birdhouse over the door and a bridge in front of it with a smooth sounding creek under it. Though the dozens of extra birdhouses were fairly odd; the urge to insult this place was growing, and yet it didn't come out. It's as if her words hung on to a thread.
“Are you sure Glinda's here, Dash?” Gilda asked her to make sure until something came to her before glanced down.
Rainbow Dash nodded proudly “Sure, I'm sure. Scootaloo seemed excited to head back here, so I assumed your little sister might be here, too.” Though her subconscious said otherwise. This was actually the only guess she had. She had no other ideas and if Glinda wasn't at Fluttershy's house, then she'd probably be in a lot of trouble. She mentally sighed, hoping Glinda was here.
“Alright, here goes nothing. You ready... Gilda?” Rainbow Dash looked at her friend in sudden confusion.
Gilda stood beside her with a hesitant look in her eyes. She felt a slight pain in her chest and gently gripped her tuffed fur with one claw. Something was wrong. Her body felt cold all of a sudden. She's never felt something like this before and she didn't like it. She heard Rainbow Dash, but couldn't answer; her voice was caught in the back of her throat. What was going on?
A cyan hoof to her arm brought her out of unknown state. She looked to see Rainbow Dash concerned.
“Hey, you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost.”
“Y-Yes. I'm fine. It's just... I don't know what went wrong there,” She had no clue why it happened so sudden. Was it because of this place? Or something else. Either way, she had a goal: find Glinda and bring her small furry butt back home. She didn't want to go through this again.
“Well, I'm sure what ever it was can be solved later. Come on, we have to find your sister,” Rainbow Dash said as she approached the door as Gilda followed behind now thinking of what just happened.
Rainbow Dash eagerly knocked on the door and waited as Gilda stood next to her, waiting as well. A nudge from Rainbow Dash snapped Gilda out of her thoughts. She nodded in thanks to the rainbow-maned pegasus until someone finally answered the door. Rainbow Dash cracked a friendly smile as the door opened. Gilda wasn't too surprised, but Rainbow Dash's smile shifted to a slight frown upon who answered.
“You?!”
Tree Hugger wasn't too thrilled either. She sensed extra auras arriving and was quick to answer the door before anyone else could, “Hello, Rainbow Dash.”
“Didn't know you were gonna be here,” Rainbow Dash said with an unamused tone. She hadn't forgotten what she did back in Ponyville. When she has the time, she'll set her straight, even if she's Fluttershy's friend.
“I'm here for a visit. I haven't seen Fluttershy in, like, so long. I couldn't contain my elation.”
Gilda blinked a few times at this strange pony and tilted her head slightly. Of all the ponies she's seen, this mare was probably the second weirdest pony she's met; the first being Pinkie Pie being how energetic and happy-go-lucky she was. But unlike her, this mare sounded very mellow, but defensive for some reason. Who is she? She didn't seem to notice her when she and Rainbow Dash talked, or somewhat of it. Have they met before? If her current situation wasn't confusing enough, this was surely a reaching a new level. She had to step in and stop them; there were goals she needed to do, after all.
“Um, excuse me?” Gilda said breaking the conversation before receiving a shocked look from the weird mare.
“Whoa, my bad. Didn't see you there. My aura must've been tainted with negative vibes,” Tree Hugger chuckled a bit, but Rainbow Dash took it as a jab to her.
“Yeah, um, I don't know what that means, but I was wondering if a little griffon named Glinda was here?” Gilda asked rather calmly. Making fun of this mare would've been so easy to do and it would've been so much fun, but she recalled that wasn't the right thing to do. She was above that now and felt proud of herself for the things she's recently done, like amend with Drift. That's was one on her list, now there's probably a lot more, but she'll do that later.
“Oh, the little shy one?”
Gilda let out a small groan and faceclawed herself. She may be more mature, but there were old habits that remained with her. One of those being that griffons were not 'shy' creature; they were strong and brave. To hear something like this was just not the least bit cool. When they get home, she'll have to teach her younger sister how to be tougher.
“Yes, that would be--” then what the mare just said came to her in a flash “--Wait, she's here?” Gilda widened her eyes in surprise as she beamed them at Tree Hugger.
Tree Hugger nodded, confirming her answer, “Yes, she is playing in the backyard with Fluttershy and Little Shy.”
Rainbow Dash gave Tree Hugger a confused, odd look, “Little Shy?” Scootaloo was anything but shy. She was like a miniature her in every way. The thought of Scootaloo being shy was just idiotic. She was more like Drift than anything.
Gilda smiled ecstatically and sighed in relief. Rainbow Dash was right. Her luck paid off and a lot of time was saved. She'll thank her later. She was just happy Glinda was alright.
“Oh, thank the griffon king,” Gilda said in a calm tone. “I'm sorry if she caused you any trouble. I'm here to pick her up and--”
“Oh no, no. Your little sister hasn't done any harm, Gilda. She's been like a little flower to us.”
Hearing that caused a great deal of pressure to release. Gilda didn't know whether to thank her or apologize again. This mare may be weird, but she was alright and very cooperative. She can respect that. Wait, did she just say her name?
“How did you know my name?” Gilda asked.
“All will be answered when you see your little sister. She's waiting for you.” Tree Hugger moved out of the way and allowed Gilda to pass.
Okay, now the weirdness just kicked up a notch with this mare. She gave the mare a confused, awkward look before passing by her. From hearing her voice and the words she spewed out, she didn't know what to think, just that 'What has this mare been smoking?' she thought as she walked to the back door of the cottage.
Rainbow Dash was about to follow Gilda, but a lime-green hoof blocked her way, making her flinch.
“Hey, what's the deal?” Rainbow Dash said with a snarl.
Tree Hugger glared daggers at Rainbow Dash. Sensing the auras of the two, Gilda was just here for Glinda. But she could tell, even without seeing her aura, Rainbow was still intent on telling Fluttershy the truth about Scootaloo's father; she will not let that happen.
“I know what you're planning to do. It's not a good idea.”
Rainbow Dash raised an agitated brow, “Not a good idea? What are you talking about?”
“Telling Scootaloo and Fluttershy about that stallion. I know that's Scootaloo's father and if you, like, tell Fluttershy, there will be a traumatic storm for not just them.”
“What storm?” Rainbow Dash asked sternly. “And you can't keep them from knowing. They have to know eventually.”
Tree Hugger shook her head with a stern glare, “No. What you are trying to bring to dangerous. I'm willing to protect them.”
“What are you? Some kind of bodyguard?” Rainbow Dash shoved Tree Hugger's arm away. “You may be Fluttershy's new friend, but I've known her longer than you have. You can't stop me from telling her,” Rainbow Dash walks passed Tree Hugger, not even glancing back.
Tree Hugger glared again. She was not one to fight. She was a pacifist, but she will do what she can to prevent this stubborn mare from telling Fluttershy the truth.
Gilda reached for the knob until a new voice caught her attention.
“Gilda?”
She turned to see a little orange filly approach her. She raised a curious brow before getting an idea who it might be. Orange fur, purple mane, and tail, abnormally tiny wings? Yup, this was that filly Rainbow Dash told her about.
“Oh hey, um, Scootaloo, right?” she turned and sat as Scootaloo nodded and stood in front of her. An excited smile forming on her face.
“The one and only,” Scootaloo said buzzing her wings briefly like a hummingbird. “Nice to finally meet you.”
Gilda chuckled a bit, liking this little filly already, “Finally, huh? Did Rainbow Dash tell you about me?” that got a nod from Scootaloo. But it also hit her that what Scootaloo just said is exactly what Drift said when they saw each other again. Probably a coincidence.
“Yup, she told me about a lot of things, like how you two met and how you two became buddies.”
If there's one thing that hasn't changed about herself it was her ego, sort of, she would brag about how she and Dash became friends but hearing Scootaloo mention this was just adorable, “Well, that's neat to hear. She also told me a few things about you, too. How you try to get your cutie mark and how you aren't afraid of anything,” She said recalling the time they hung out and Rainbow Dash mentioned an energetic little filly that goes on adventures with two other fillies. She thought it was somewhat adorable.
Scootaloo's smile widens, happy to know her idol mentions her to Gilda. In fact, she wondered if, since she's friends with Rainbow Dash, she could be friends with her, too. She's already made friends with Glinda the moment she went outside when she and Tree Hugger got back from the grocery stores. And she was right to say that she wasn't scared of anything. She let out a proud snort, boasting a little, “Yup, I ain't scared of nothing. Not even scared of the animals around here.”
Gilda held in a chuckle and nodded, playing along with imagination, “I bet you are. Not scared of all the squirrels and birds, huh?” Gilda joked in a not-too-obvious tone.
Scootaloo looked at Gilda confused by that. Squirrels and birds? There were more than just them here. Perhaps she shouldn't waste time and show her.
“There are more than just squirrels and birds here, Gilda. Fluttershy takes care of other animals, too.”
Gilda raised a brow again, knowing full well there were more animals. Guess she needed work on making a joking tone, “Was just making a joke, kid. What animals do Fluttershy care for anyway?”
Scootaloo smiled, happy to hear that question, instead of telling, “How about I show you, instead. Glinda is out there playing with my pet and my mom,” Scootaloo said as Gilda watched her open the door.
“Oh alright. And I'm glad my-- wait, mom?” Gilda said before looking outside to see the backyard.
They walked outside. Scootaloo turned to glance at Gilda as she eyed the large, peaceful forest in front of her. Her eyes widened again. The wide open field and the lush greenery the forest provided was amazing. She's lived in a mountain region full on other griffons for so long that she's never seen something like this. Well, she's seen forests, but never been in one. While her old home was dry-looking with hot temperatures, this forest was cool and full of life. It was almost alien to her. And Fluttershy lived here? Glinda was here?!
Gilda looked around until she immediately heard Glinda laugh. She looked in front of her and she not only saw said squirrels and birds but she saw other animals like chipmunks, deer, weasels, an owl? a dog? a cat? a turtle? And a baby alligator? Unusual animals to be here but Gilda wasn't going to complain. She even saw Fluttershy tending to an injured snake. But excitement filled her mind when she saw Glinda sit on a weird-looking log rubbing the cat as it relaxed.
“Glinda!” Gilda called out.
Glinda, Fluttershy, and the animals all looked back at the cottage to see Scootaloo and a new face next to her. The animals had a bit of concern floating around. They never had an older griffon come here and when they heard the young griffon call out, they assumed she might've known her.
“Gilda!” Glinda called out in excitement. She was happy to see her older sister finally here. She waved at her but didn't move from her spot.
Gilda was curious about that, but her relief and joy overtook it as she rushed up to meet her younger sister. The animals scurried away as Gilda approached. When she did, the log began to move as a reptilian head lifted high in the air and turned, facing her. Gilda gasped in sheer shock as she skids to a stop before tripping over herself and landing inches away from her sister.
“Gilda, are you okay?” Glinda peeked over, looking down Gilda with confused, innocent eyes.
Gilda lifted herself up and shook the dirt off her. She groaned and rubbed her head as she held it before feeling a puff of hot air blow on the left side of her head. She let out a short, quick chicken bawk as she opened one eye. She didn't want to look but she had to make sure she wasn't imagining things either. She glanced one shocked eye to her left, and now she wishes she hadn't. She whimpered occasionally before screaming in fear and flying herself back and away from the monster Glinda was sitting on. Her trajectory was off and she ended up landing on her back. She lifted herself with her front arms as the monster rose up and gave her a confused look.
“What is that thing?!” Gilda asked in a panic. She's never seen a creature like this before. Nor has she seen one that would possibly give a Manticore a run back to where it came from.
Glinda hopped off of Varan and walked up to her sister, “Gilda, it's okay. He won't hurt you,” She said trying to reassure her older sister, but it looked like it wasn't working as Gilda kept her terrified gaze at Varan.
Scootaloo quickly rushed up to the griffons and stood next to Glinda and helped her convince Gilda that her pet wasn't a monster, “She's right. Varan won't hurt you. He's a lot friendlier than he looks.” Probably not the best choice, but that's all that came to mind.
“Friendly? Friendly?!” Gilda stood back up and glanced at the two young ones. Her heart racing a mile a minute while staying on guard as she talked. “How is that thing friendly?” Gilda pointed a talon claw at Varan and prompted a defensive hiss from the giant Komodo. He thought that was a sign of assault.
Scootaloo heard the hiss and looked to Varan before approaching him and waving her hooves to get his attention, “Varan, eyes on me, buddy.” Scootaloo called out and it thankfully worked. Varan craned his head down at Scootaloo to see what she wanted, only to have her hug his snout randomly. It should distract him long enough so he wouldn't turn Gilda into a buffet.
Glinda tried to come up with an answer for her but had a hard time doing so, because she didn't know Varan at all. Fluttershy only managed to convince her that he wouldn't hurt her and he hasn't, “Because... because...”
“Because he knows peace here,” a soft, confident and familiar voice took over, getting everyone's attention.
Gilda gazed and saw Fluttershy approach them with a straight face; the snake she healed slithered away with a bandage on its snout. Her panic instantly faded when that feeling from before came back. Now she remembered what caused it. It was easy apologizing to Drift, but now... this was different. Gilda did her best to calm down as Fluttershy stood behind Scootaloo and Glinda.
Suddenly, things got quiet. It was as if a shift took a huge turn. Gilda looked away and hung her head in guilt. Here she was, meeting Fluttershy again. The very same pegasus she bumped into before... and roared in her face. She didn't know what to say. She saw her face and could probably tell she wasn't happy. She had to say something. Something to break the silence.
“H-hey, Fluttershy,” Gilda greeted as she looked at her with awkward, fake innocent eyes.
Fluttershy noticed the look in Gilda's eyes and wasn't buying it. She figured she still remembered that day, but what threw her off was the fact that she wasn't boasting about it. Her eyes spelled guilt. Granted, it was awkward for her, too, since Scootaloo and Glinda were between them. She'll talk to Gilda about it later, right now was playtime for the kids and the animals; or at least for some. Her own animal friends took off; probably scared. Twilight's pet and the rest of her friend's pets remained here either stand in front of or resting on Varan's back. She'll make small talk with Gilda, for now.
“Hello, Gilda. It's nice to meet you again,” Fluttershy greeted politely and hopefully lifted some pressure from Gilda. Something changed in her and she wanted to know what and why.
“Likewise,” Gilda said as Varan, Scootaloo, and Glinda looked at them one after another like clueless infants.
“Have you two met before?” Glinda asked curiously.
“Yes, we have. We met before.”
“Back as far as high school,” Gilda revealed, receiving stumped looks from the young ones and even a bewildered look from Fluttershy. Gilda nodded to Fluttershy in hopes she would remember. Thankfully she did and the kind pegasus smiled and nodded to her.
“Yes, back at Cloudsdale High.”
“Woah,” Scootaloo and Glinda said with glittering eyes, happy to know of this revelation.
Angel wiggled his snout and crossed his arms, not liking this new face showing up. Or was it a new face? He recalled Fluttershy coming back home once crying fountains out of nowhere. He had no clue what was going on until his owner told him what happened. He wasn't happy with what he heard. She told him it was a griffon, but he didn't care. If anyone made Fluttershy cry, he'd have some ideas up his sleeves to get them back. He peered towards his friends who just kept their attention on Gilda; well, just Owlowicious and Tank. Winona was scratching her ear and Opal was pawing at Gummy's tail. Gummy doesn't seem to notice. He then gazed at Varan who just kept his snout close to Scootaloo. Okay, maybe ideas with their help probably won't happen, so a new plan had to be in order.
“So, um, h-how've you been?” Gilda asked Fluttershy awkwardly.
“Hmm? Oh, I'm doing great,” Fluttershy said telling Gilda some good news that brought relief to her mind. “Scootaloo, Tree Hugger and I have been taking good care of Glinda while you were away.”
While she was away? She had no clue where to find Fluttershy's place, let alone find any other places around Ponyville. Almost all the buildings in that town were practically the same. She was just lucky that Rainbow Dash's guess lead her to the right direction. But it did seem odd that Fluttershy would say that.
“You sound like I know where you live, Dwe – I mean, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy raised a confused brow and tilted her head as she asked, “You didn't know where I lived?”
Gilda shook her head and shrugged, “I came here with Rainbow Dash because she guessed Glinda would be here.”
That got some unusual looks from Scootaloo and Fluttershy. Scootaloo thought it was awesome that Rainbow Dash guessed only once where Glinda was and got it right; it would take more or so from her until she'd finally get it right. And she'd be the same if she was in Rainbow's hooves.
Fluttershy thought otherwise. Rainbow Dash guessed where Glinda was? That wasn't really the right way to go. There could've been other ways to know where Glinda was. Guessing was just one in a million. Gilda was very lucky that Glinda ended up here, otherwise, she'd be in circles around Ponyville with Rainbow Dash looking for her. Fluttershy shook her head in disappointment but she was happy that the guess was right.
Glinda looked around for Rainbow Dash until Tank flew down and landed next to her. She then looked at her sister and curiously said, “Where is Rainbow Dash, Gilda?”
“And where's Tree Hugger,” Scootaloo said. “She'd be out here by now.”
Gilda tilted her head before looking back at Fluttershy's cottage and guessed, “Guess they're still in the house. They were talking about something, but I didn't bother to listen.” She looked back at the ponies and Glinda only to see the tortoise next to Gilda suddenly fly by her and head to the cottage. She followed her gaze on the flying reptile confusedly before it went through the doggy door.
“Should I even--”
“That's just Tank. Rainbow Dash and mom gave him a little propeller so he can fly,” Scootaloo explained as Glinda walked up to Gilda and sat next to her, staying close.
Gilda looked back at Scootaloo and nodded, understanding that now, “Oh, okay. Dash told me about her pet, but I didn't expect it to be a turtle.”
“Tortoise,” Glinda innocently corrected her.
“Whatever,” Gilda calmly retorted until she saw the animals behind her. The white rabbit to the giant lizard behind them. If she was told Fluttershy cared for animals, she should've asked, “So, what kind of animals do you take care of, Fluttershy?” She asked as she nervously looked at Varan.
“Oh, did Scootaloo tell you what I do?” Fluttershy asked before seeing her daughter smile a bit at her.
“Not really. She just brought me out here and then I saw you with other animals and my sister.”
“Oh, well, alright,” Fluttershy cleared her throat and did her best to explain what her job is around her home. “I am an animal caretaker. I care for many species animals. Like Angel Bunny, Mr. Fuzzy legs, Varan on occasions, Mr. Slithers and Harry.”
Glinda and Gilda looked at each other for a moment before both of them asked at the same time, “Who's Harry?”
Scootloo interrupted Fluttershy, eager as to answer for her, “Oh Harry? He's --”
A low, rough, growl-like roar emitted from within the forest behind them.
“-- Him.”
A cold feeling of fear and panic washed over Gilda and Glinda as they and Fluttershy and Scootaloo looked at the trees behind them a few feet away. The mane pets looked as well, but they weren't scared; Varan, however, was more angered than scared. Fluttershy and Scootaloo smiled casually as an old friend made his presence known. Out from the trees came a large brown, furry figure in the form of a grizzly bear. The bear let out an echoing roar before immediately charging at the group.
Gilda felt her heart plunge into her throat as she reached for Glinda so they can get the heck out of there, but Scootaloo stopped her just in time right as Fluttershy flew towards the bear. The large grizzly bear stopped and growled at Fluttershy as Fluttershy landed in front of the large ursa.
“Fluttershy!” Gilda called out. Glinda covered her eyes before hearing nothing afterward. She then peeked one eye to see. Scootaloo looked back to see her mother as the griffons looked on in confusion.
The grizzly bear did not attack Fluttershy. It instead gave her a lick on the cheek and a gentle nuzzle. Fluttershy giggled and hugged the bear's snout.
“Oh Harry, it's good to see you too. Where have you been?” Fluttershy asked as Harry let out some little, soft groaning purrs, talking to her while Fluttershy nodded. “Oh, I see. You got distracted by honey, again.” she smiled and giggled in amusement before rubbing the bear's snout. “No wonder your breath smells like honey.” she teased her bear friend while Gilda and Glinda just watched on as if Fluttershy became the craziest pony to ever exist.
“She's talking to a bear. A big, bloodthirsty bear.” Gilda pointed a shaking talon at them.
Glinda sat there stiff as a wooden board; her fear cranked to eleven. If that spider from before didn't scare her, this surely did. “She... she didn't tell me she had a flipping bear.” She was just getting used to Varan. Did Fluttershy plan for her to meet the bear next?
The two griffons had so many questions about this that it was hard to choose. That is until Scootaloo started laughing at how they were acting. They looked at her confused and bewildered. Why wasn't she scared?
“Scootaloo? Why aren't you scared?” Glinda asked.
Scootaloo laughed a little more before slowly calming herself down so she can explain, “Well, for one thing, Harry isn't like that. He's too nice to be 'bloodthirsty'. And I'm not scared because of two reasons: one, I've met Harry before and was never scared of him. Two, I have a pet Komodo Dragon. That should've given you some clues, Glinda.” Glinda soon calmed down and realized Scootaloo was right. She showed no fear towards Varan when he came out of his burrow.
Gilda looked at Scootaloo as if she was insane just like Fluttershy, 'Nice?! Which part of that sharp-clawed, fang-bearing killing machine is nice?!' Gilda thought as she started to panic. All that was racing through her mind was that she didn't want to be dinner for that bear... and the giant lizard sitting behind Scootaloo, and that she really wanted to head back inside with Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger, because now that she knows that dangerous animals like Varan and Harry were around she wanted Glinda and herself to be somewhere safe.
Fluttershy overheard Scootaloo and looked back, “Oh no, Scootaloo. You've been scared of Harry, too. I remember you coming out here one day to play with Angel Bunny while I was helping some ferrets recover,” Fluttershy recalled. “One minute I finished with Mrs. Ferret's injury, the next I hear you screaming and crying back into the house shouting 'Bear, bear, bear!'”
Scootaloo immediately blushed as red as a tomato when her mother told that story, “Mom!” Scootaloo felt embarrassed, but Fluttershy kept going.
Gilda beamed her eyes on Scootaloo in shock. At first, she thought her ears were playing tricks on her but it turned out to be true. Was Scootaloo adopted? Did Glinda find out? Did Rainbow Dash know about this? There were so many questions in her mind, she couldn't pick just one.
“I had quite a while to teach you about the animals here. Harry, especially.” Fluttershy said as she giggled before softly grabbing both of Harry's cheeks and rubbing snouts, “It took her a while for her to realize that Harry isn't mean at all. He's just a big ol' soft teddy bear. Isn't that right, Harry?”
Harry gave a cooing purr as an answer before giving his loving caretaker another lick on the cheek, making her giggle.
Scootaloo blushed embarrassingly before hearing a chuckle come from Glinda. Scootaloo pouted and made her wings buzz out of frustration, “Not funny.”
Angel watched Harry and Fluttershy and took a moment to think. Maybe Harry would be a perfect opportunity to use against Gilda. He rubbed his paws together and chuckled evilly. Maybe get the grizzly to think Gilda was attacking one of them would convince the bear to attack or perhaps a little acting, too. Many ideas were forming in the little demon's head, unbeknownst that it was about to fall apart real quick.
Hooting from Owlowicious got his attention. Angel grimaced before turning his attention to his friends, only to see them staring up at Varan with boiling anger in his eyes. His ears drooped in slight fear. Angel didn't know what was going through Varan's head, but something was setting him off. He looked at Fluttershy and Harry, then back to Varan confused. Then he gazed up at Varan's eyes and trailed them to where he was looking at. Angel raised his eyebrows at Varan's target...
Harry.
All plans were out the window, he had to get his friends off the giant lizard before he goes on a rampage. Then he gazed at Fluttershy and gasped. Fluttershy would get in the crossfire! He needed a way to get her attention until he saw Winona in front of Varan. He raised his ears and smiled before rushing off of Varan, jumped up and bopped the border collie on the snout.
Winona flinched and whimpered before immediately giving the little rabbit an aggressive growl. She then barked so loudly at him that it got everyone's attention; she was gonna give him a huge scolding.
It worked as it got Fluttershy's attention, but the barking caused more than just that. Varan stood up as he kept his primal gaze on Harry, forcing Opal, Gummy, and Owlowicious off him while Winona scurried away towards Gilda.
Scootaloo watched Varan get up and looked at him confusedly and concerned, “Varan?” Scootaloo said as Varan hissed aggressively and caught Scootaloo off-guard.
Angel gasped in horror and disbelief. He managed to get their attention in time, but it helped little as he had another thing to worry about and that was Varan's claw about to stomp on him. He closed his eyes and prepared for the worse until a cyan blur quickly whooshed him away.
Harry heard the unusual hissing. He gazed behind Fluttershy and saw a large reptile hissing in his direction. He looked at the reptile confusedly, wondering what its deal was. But it quickly dawned on him that some of the animals in the forest informed him of a 'new face' around Fluttershy's cottage. He didn't pay any mind to it as that usually meant a new animal was being taken care of. He didn't expect it to something like this. Nor did he expect it to be hissing at him. He growled at the reptile, not liking how it thinks he can scare him off. Or if it was trying to. Either way, this thing was going to know that messing with him was gonna be a huge mistake. Harry walked around Fluttershy and continued to growl defensively, letting the reptile know he was not gonna back down.
“Gilda, Glinda, Scootaloo, over here,” Rainbow Dash called out and managed to get Glinda's and Gilda's attention, but Scootaloo kept her attention on Varan, wondering why he's acting like this.
“Varan, what's gotten into you?” Scootaloo asked but got no response from the Komodo. He just kept his gaze on Harry, intent on doing something. Scootaloo was starting to get scared. Was he planning to hurt Harry?
“Scootaloo, get away from the lizard!” Rainbow Dash ordered.
“No,” Scootaloo said, rejecting Rainbow Dash's demand. “Something's wrong with Varan. I have to know what.” Scootaloo rushed around Varan and stopped in front of him to get his attention. “Varan! Please, calm down.”
Yet Varan refused to. He glared his primal eyes onto this bear and never looked away. He had a deep hatred towards bears ever since he was a hatchling. All he could remember was climbing up a tree and watch as a big furry beast was attacking other Komodo dragons. The last thing he could remember was seeing dirty brown, evil eyes. He couldn't remember anything else, but what he saw looked like a bear and ever since he hated them to no end. This one had brown eyes and an evil looking glare, this had to be the one. And now he can get his revenge. Young Master was not gonna stop him this time.
“Varan, please, Harry isn't – whoa!” A cyan blur scooped her up and flew her away from Varan.
“Are you crazy, Scootaloo? That thing will tear you apart.” Rainbow Dash said as Scootaloo struggled.
“Let me go! He's not dangerous. Something's wrong with him,” Scootaloo said as Rainbow Dash stopped next to the griffons and Tree Hugger. “Varan!”
Harry stood on his hind legs and roared furiously at the lizard trying to intimidate it, but that only provoked it into hissing loudly at him and charging at him like a rampaging bull. Harry obliged by getting back on all fours and thundered his way toward the lizard.
The group watched in horror as a fight was about to take place. Scootaloo tried to break free from Rainbow's hold, wanting to stop Varan. Glinda hid behind Gilda as Gilda watched. And Tree Hugger rushed out to the field as Fluttershy flew at the charging animals.
Immediately, both animals clashed. Varan tried to draw first blood by attempting to dig his claws into Harry's fur, but Harry was quick on paws as he grabbed the giant lizard with his powerful arms and tossed the lizard aside, causing him roll before quickly standing back up. Varan let out another hiss, ready to strike. Harry kept his ground and waited for his attacker to come at him. He bellowed a terrifying roar that would make any other predator know when to run and stay away.
He didn't have to wait long.
Varan charged at the bear again, wanting to bite into him. He wasn't going to give up until he was dead. But he suddenly stopped when Old Master flew in front of him with her arms out. Varan looked at her confused and looked at her oddly before growling in annoyance. She should not be in his way. His attacker was right in front of him and he was not going to let him go.
Fluttershy did not budge. She kept herself calm and firm as Varan let out barking hisses at her, wanting her to leave. But Fluttershy was not having it. Varan did know peace here, but behavior like this was not tolerated. She closed her eyes for a brief second before opening them back up to give the giant komodo and stern glare that put him in a slight trance.
Varan suddenly found himself in a new situation. He didn't know what to think as he stared at Old Master's stare. He didn't know how to feel about this, but he did get the sense that he might be in huge trouble. Young Master told him about something like this and that when Old Master threw this out to any other animals around, it means you better listen or else. This was happening to him right now... and he didn't like it. In fact, he was now feeling scared more than anything. He wanted it to stop. He then saw Odd One come up to him right as Old Master stopped her demonic glare and went to go tend to the bear. He didn't know what Odd One was gonna do. He felt confused until she started to whistle a soothing, rhythmic tune to him.
Tree Hugger kept her whistle tune going. She approached Varan but had no clue if it'll work on him. It worked on animals like birds and small mammals, but it was never used on reptiles. She whistled a higher tune and saw that Varan wasn't budging. It must be working, yet this was still very different to her.
Varan kept his attention onto Tree Hugger and felt more confused than ever. He didn't know what Odd One was doing or why Old Master used her demonic stare on him. What was he suppose to do? He felt so conflicted, yet a tune relaxed his mind when it caught his attention. He listened to Odd One's whistling and it sounded nice and smooth. Almost like a lullaby, in a way. Varan let out a small, confused hiss before hearing Old Master call his name and giving him an order...
“Den, now,” Fluttershy said in a stern tone as she pointed to his den.
He couldn't fight back against her words. As much as he wanted to fight the bear behind her, he couldn't bring himself to do. He saw the disappointment in her eyes and he couldn't bear to look at Young Master for what he did. When Odd One stopped her whistling, he walked away with a glare still hooked on Harry. He knows he did wrong, but that won't change how he feels towards the bear.
Tree Hugger watched as Varan walked to his den and melt into the shadows. She took a sigh of relief and a moment to sit down and clear her chakra.
“That was easy, but it sure was scary,” Tree Hugger said as she placed her hooves together and meditated.
Fluttershy ignored Tree Hugger and focused on Harry, making sure he's not hurt, “Harry, are you alright?” she asked her bear friend receiving a nod in response. Fluttershy lifted his right arm to check for injuries. She saw Varan tried to scratch at his chest and had to make sure. She sighed in relief when she saw only pieces of fur were sliced off.
“That's a relief.” If Varan were to bite into him, then she would've had more than a heart attack. The rest of her animal friends were right to be cautious around Varan. Harry was brave to face him. But why?
“Harry, why did you do that?” Harry let out some gurgled groans and growls, talking in his own language to speak to Fluttershy. While she was happy he didn't get bitten, she wasn't too thrilled to hear what Harry said, “Harry, that's not a good idea. I know you're capable of fighting, but you have to remember Varan isn't the kind of animal to mess with. If he bit you, I don't know what would happen.” And she meant it, too. Neither her or Scootaloo have seen him bitten any other animals around her home, but a vet informed them that his bite is strong enough to take out animals larger than him.
Harry looked at Fluttershy concerned. She's never been wrong with this kind of stuff and this was his first time meeting this Varan. All he got from him was that he seemed aggressive towards him and no one else. If anything, Varan seemed more like a threat than a friend. He looked at the den with a slight glare. He was lucky he didn't get bitten, but he'll still be watching him. That is until he felt Fluttershy grab his cheeks.
“Harry, I know those eyes,” Fluttershy said. “You don't need to worry about him. Just leave him to me and Scootaloo.” It confused him as to why Fluttershy would involve Scootaloo, but what she says goes. “You don't have any injuries, so you're free to go." Fluttershy smiled softly and gave his snout a gentle peck before Harry gave her another friendly lick to the cheek.
“I'm sorry for cutting this visit short, but perhaps next time will go smoothly,” Fluttershy said, promising to make it up to her beloved bear. Perhaps some jars of sweet honey would do the trick.
Harry let out a rumbling purr before heading back to the forest. This may have been an odd encounter, but Harry was pretty understanding about it. Still, that lizard needs to work out some issues.
Fluttershy waved at Harry as he disappeared into the forest. When he did, Fluttershy turned her head and gave a sharp glare at Scootaloo. Scootaloo didn't notice because of her attention on Varan's den, but Rainbow and the others sure did. And it was about that time for the mane pets to head home, so they quickly bolted away heading back to their respective owner's homes; only Tank and Angel stayed behind.
Tree Hugger finished her meditation and sensed Fluttershy's aura; it was ghost-white with a tint of yellow. She was frustrated and tired. She saw her friend walk towards her other friends before following her. She took a look at the others auras and found Glinda's aura to be a slight dark gray; she was scared. Rainbow Dash's aura was a sharp yellow; confused as always. Tree Hugger was not surprised. Scootaloo's aura was a strong gray and black mix. She must be worried about her pet, and rightfully so. But Gilda's aura was the strongest. It had a mix of yellow, black, gray and blood-red. Something about her doesn't seem right. She may be calm on the outside, well, a little tense after what just happen, but deep down she must be hiding something. What was it?
“Something tells me they don't get along,” Glinda said as she timidly walked around Gilda. Gilda kept her close and hugged her wing around her little sister for comfort.
“So, mind telling me what that was about, Scootaloo?” Fluttershy said in a sharp tone. She was in no mood for any excuses. She hated seeing her animals get attacked, and the very fact that it was Scootaloo's own pet that attacked needed answers right now.
Scootaloo just sat there as Rainbow Dash released her from her hold. She was in shock from seeing that. She had no clue why Varan would do something like that. Why would he do that? She was so confused.
“Well?”
“I don't know, mom?!” Scootaloo snapped, putting her attention onto Fluttershy with tears rolling down her eyes. “I don't know why Varan did that. It happened out of nowhere.” She honestly didn't expect it either. She thought Varan was just gonna lounge about and not care if another predator like Harry was around.
“He's your pet and that makes him your responsibility,” Fluttershy reminded. She then talked through her teeth and slightly snarled, “He attacked Harry for no reason and nearly scared our guests. How could you not know if he was gonna do that? He's your pet!”
Scootaloo snarled back with an angry glare of her own, and retorted out of frustration and annoyance, “Did you even pay attention? I can't talk to animals. You do!” Scootaloo huffed and tried not to cry, but it was difficult because of her own mother was putting the blame on her. “If you want answers so badly, why don't you just go up and talk to him. You're more better at talking to animals than talking to other ponies like dad!” her voice echoed throughout in the air, then it slowly went ghost-quiet.
Glinda, Gilda, Tree Hugger, Rainbow Dash and Angel were in utter shock to hear Scootaloo shout that out. That was going too far.
Rainbow Dash was thrown back by Scootaloo's words. She would've expected Scootaloo to throw a fit, but she never thought she'd bring up her own father. She didn't know if she should break up the fight, or was it too late.
Tree Hugger was just the same as Rainbow Dash. Their auras now changing different color and intensified at an alarming rate. It was like looking at a fire growing stronger over a puddle of oil. This needed to end now or things'll get worse.
Angel covered his mouth and widened his eyes. He may have done some bad things, but that was crossing the line. Even he knew when to stopped when it came to a situation like that. Sure there were some slip-ups like the pie prank, but Scootaloo's words were even worse.
Glinda and Gilda looked at each other in shock before looking back at Fluttershy and Scootaloo. What started out as a great day turned into something completely different. Glinda wanted to break up the fight and Gilda thought that ponies and griffons were a lot alike than she thought when it came to arguments. It reminded her of her time when she argued with her parents almost all the time. She felt bad for them. She really did.
But none were more shocked and hurt than Fluttershy. She stood there stunned and mortified by what Scootaloo just said. She wasn't ready for that, nor did she expect to bring 'him' up. She took some time to process what she said, but she could not come up with any words to say to her own daughter.
Scootaloo glared at Fluttershy one more time before walking away, heading back inside.
Rainbow Dash broke the silence and spoke, “Scootaloo, that was a little too far.”
“I don't care,” Scootaloo sharply said before opening and slamming the door behind her, going back to her room to get away from her mother.
“Um, okay then. Uh, that went deep,” Gilda said, not knowing what to say about what just happened.
“L-Lets head inside. I-I'll explain everything when things cool down,” Fluttershy sighed disappointedly in herself for being so stupid as she walked passed her friends and opened the door. “Heh, guests first.” She gave a weak smile as Gilda and the others walked in right as Fluttershy closed the door behind her.