//------------------------------// // Interlude 2: Music Soothes the Savage Beast // Story: Cyber Sam // by Golden Flare //------------------------------// Canterlot City Animal Shelter - Hamster Area Samuel's POV Rarity and I were being guided by Fluttershy through the local animal shelter to where the hamsters were being kept. It's been a couple days after Rainbow and Trixie's "shred-off" at the instrument store and I had offered to help Fluttershy at the shelter when she brought it up; she kept trying to hand out flyers to students at school to gather more volunteers, but there were no takers, so I offered my own services because she needed help...and I'm an animal lover almost to a fault. Don't judge me. We made it inside the hamster's room of the shelter when Fluttershy flicked the lights on and spoke, "Thanks for coming Rarity, and you too, Sam. The rescue center needs all the help it can get." "Oh but of course, Darling." Rarity said, petting a little puppy and kitten, "Helping cute little puppies and kitties will never go out of style!" "Fully agreed, I love animals!" I said, "And I've my fair share of different animals for pets at different points in my life: dogs, cats, gerbils, fish, ferrets, rabbits, pigs, you name it!" "Really?!" Fluttershy asked, fascinated. "I kid you not!" Fluttershy squee'd at the prospect of another animal lover in her circle of friends, but then blushed and recomposed herself, "A-Anyway," she began, "Once a year, a lucky volunteer gets to clean the hamster habitat! I signed up for it months ago to see if I'd get it!" To me, that didn't sit right; clean the hamster habitat once a year?? Back when I had gerbils and ferrets, I always had to make sure everything was clean for the little guys and gals. ALWAYS. Not to mention, setting up their food and water whenever they run low. "Um...Fluttershy?" I began before she could call the hamsters out of their home, "There ARE other workers here who clean the hamster's home, right? I mean, they don't let it get dirty over the course of the year, right?" Fluttershy gasped, "Oh, no, of COURSE not! Normally the volunteers aren't allowed to disturb the hamsters in fear of letting them loose throughout the building, so the people who work here normally clean it out once a week, but once a year, a volunteer can do it." I let out a sigh of relief, "Okay, good. Got worried for a second there." Fluttershy opened one of the tunnel doors and called to the little ones, "Houuusecleaniiing!" Rarity suddenly looked really nervous, "Ooh, uh, Fluttershy, Darling, aren't hamsters, uh, rodents?" The hamsters began making their way out of the habitat as Fluttershy answered, "They sure are, but they're cute and cuddly like bunnies!" the hamsters began exiting the habitat and I couldn't but smile at them, "Okay every-hamster, follow Rarity and Sam into the next room! They'll take good care of you while I give your home a good scrub!" "Actually, do you mind if lend a hand?" I offered, tinkering with my D-Watch, "I think I have something in here that might help." "Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, "Then Rarity will have to tend to the hamsters by herself." "Don't worry, if my hunch is right, this'll only take a few minutes." "Well...okay then." "Thanks!" I pull the door near closed when I told Rarity, "Hang tight, we'll be done in no time!" then I closed the door completely. "So, um, what transformation, do you think will help?" I turn on the digivice, select a fish-looking silhouette, and tell Fluttershy, "Just watch." with that, I slam down the big upside-down triangle button. //Digivolution.// I was surrounded by a cocoon of data code as I was changed into a rather odd-looking mammal-like fish. "Dolphmon!" "Wow, that's a new one!" Fluttershy remarked. "Actually I had it for a while," I respond, "haven't needed this one until now." "Why not?" I suddenly began to choke a bit, "...This one needs water to survive..." "Oh goodness!" "I'm fine...!" I cough some, "Let's just make this quick...! Water Wave...!" I controlled it to the point where it wasn't a full-on tsunami and focused it into and through the tunnels of the habitat to clean out all of the filth. Once it was done, the D-Watch could sense I was at my limit and transformed me back as I was breathing in sweet, sweet oxygen, "Oh, thank God!" "Are you okay?!" "Yeah, the D-Watch can sense when I'm at the end of my rope when I'm in one of its digivolutions, and turn me back to normal as a safety precaution." "Amazing...your parents really knew what they were doing." "Yeah...they did..." Just then, we heard banging on the wall and saw Rarity looking scared while random objects were being thrown every which way. We came out and saw the other room was in chaos. "Rarity! What happened?!" Fluttershy asked her. "Yeah! They were fine just a minute ago!" I added, looking a little freaked out. Rarity then went on a tangent about what had occurred, but I'll keep it simple; she couldn't help but accessorize one of the hamsters, then the others wanted in on that action, and now we have a massive hamster feud over clothing. "...Also, I named them." Rarity finished. I facepalmed. No shit... Fluttershy tried to talk some sense into them, but none of them were having it, so Rarity emptied her backpack and went to scoop up the hamsters, Fluttershy and I went to do the same, then Fluttershy's tambourine fell out, rattling and hypnotizing the hamsters for a moment. I was then hit with an idea, "Just what the doctor ordered. Fluttershy, take your instrument and play! Go full-on pied piper!" She took the hint and played her tambourine with such skill and talent, and she even danced as she played! Just as the hamsters were entranced by the music, Fluttershy began to pony-up like Rainbow did back in the music store, wings and all! And with that, all the hamsters were back in their habitat and Fluttershy closed the door...well, almost all of them. "Huh! I never would've guessed that hamsters could be so touchy about fashion!" Rarity commented. At that moment, the big hamster that Rarity managed to scoop up stuck his head out and snapped his paws three times. As the girls were getting him back in the other room, we failed to noticed my D-Watch chime again with another new power...