//------------------------------// // Fluttershy Leans In // Story: Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S7 // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Ponyville was having another peaceful day, Shining Soul now happily trotting through the town on her way home from spending time at Diamond Tiara's place. "Shake your tail, cause we're gonna have a party tonight," she sang to herself as she marched through the street, only to see Fluttershy trotting along while pulling a cart with Angel Bunny in it. "Hey Fluttershy!" She walked over, only to see Angel was actually hurt. "Aw, did somebody hurt himself?" Angel blew a raspberry at her, making Soul pull back. "Well if you're gonna be like that." "I'm sorry," Fluttershy responded, "He's just a little cranky because he's hurt." "You want me to give him a little of the old Shining Soul magic?" She asked, pointing to her now glowing horn. "Oh no," Fluttershy shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, your magic is amazing. But I think it would be better to have a professional look at it. That's why I'm going to Dr Fauna." With that, she started pulling the cart to a building with a nice little porch full of different animal feeding stations. When she got there, she tried pushing the door open, only to find it was locked, "Maybe she's out." "Oh dear..." Fluttershy turned to Soul and Angel, "I was sure she would be here today." Angel let out a whimper at this, making Fluttershy look back at the door. "Hello?" She knocked, "is anypony there?" In that moment, the peek hole in the door opened up to show an eye. "Fluttershy?" A muffled voice called out. "Oh, am I glad to see you!" Fluttershy responded by pushing at the door again, with still no response. "I wish I could say the same, but the door's stuck, so I, um...can't see you." Dr Fauna pulled on the door, only to open it...and a bunch of different animals came spilling out. Several ran over to Angel's cart, while others landed of Soul's back. "Get off," she shook and they jumped while Fauna moved over to Angel. "Ohhhh," she smiled at him, "Some-bunny hurt his foot. Let's bandage that up so he can get back home." She then turned to Fluttershy, "I'd like to keep him overnight, but as you can see, my place is just bursting with animals!" She almost screamed that last part before letting out a sigh. "I don't think I can take in even one more critter right now!" As she said that, the pair heard the sound of tall hoofsteps and turned to see a giraffe. "How did we miss that until now?" Soul asked as the creature let out a sneeze. "Oh, dear." Fluttershy and Fauna stated before they went inside. Since the giraffe couldn't fit into the building, Fauna had to look after her through the window. She put a pillow under its head and gave it a thermometer, then turned to Angel. As she did this, the two visiting mares glanced around and saw all the damage being done by the animals. Birds were making nests all over the place, squirrels were helping themselves to cotton balls and other medical equipment and raccoons were using chairs as go-karts. Fluttershy gasped as one raccoon rolled past her, "You really have your hooves full here." Fauna sighed as she finished wrapping up Angel's foot. "This place is like a zoo!" She ducked to avoid a bird from flying into her head, "Then again, it's normally like that, but still...I can't keep up!" As she said that, another bird grabbed the bandages she had used for Angel and pulled a bit off before flying up and using it as a nest decoration. "Why would you wanna build a nest inside?" Soul asked, "Though I guess it does protect from the rain." Fauna shrugged before turning back to Angel, passing him some little crutches to use. "Now, does my favowite wittle bunny want a carrot pop?" Angel's response was to blow a raspberry at her, the bunny limping off as Fauna sighed. "That's okay. I think the goats ate all of them anyway." They turned to a goat as it was busy chewing on something. A moment later, it burped and unleashed a bunch of sticks and a single uneaten lollipop. A moment later, it sucked that lollipop back into its mouth and began chewing away. "I just can't believe all these poor little animals are hurt." She turned to Fauna, "What happened?" "I'm flummoxed!" The vet replied, "Every day, there's more and more animals on my doorstep. Most of them just have minor ailments: Hurt wings, stuffy noses, and such. But the trouble is even after they're all healed up, I can't seem to get these comfy critters to leave!" As she said that, a bear wearing a towel and shower cap walked past them. "Oh dear," Fluttershy whispered as the bear started clipping its toenails. "Ew..." Soul stuck her tongue out at the sight, ducking under a toenail before using her magic to make a shield for the rest, "Come on. That's just gross." "They do seem to have made themselves right at home here," Fluttershy sighed as a bird flew down and landed on the vet's head. "I wonder why they chose to flock to my office. It just doesn't make sense." Fluttershy smiled at this. "Don't be silly, Dr. Fauna. You're the best vet pony in Equestria. At least that's what I've been telling everypony." "Uh..." Fluttershy glanced up to see a whole bunch of birds now nesting on Fauna's head, "You did what?" She shook her head, making the avian creatures fly off. "Oh, no." Fluttershy shrank down to the size of a mouse. "Do you suppose it's my fault?" "It's looking that way," Soul replied as a squirrel landed in her mane. "Hey!" She cried, trying to get it off. "I'm so sorry," Fluttershy told Fauna as she returned to her normal size and removed the squirrel. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I just know animals feel safe and happy under your care." As she said that, the chirping of many little ducklings made them look down and see the birds standing under the vet's hooves before waddling off. "Normally," Fauna moved over to the giraffe, "I don't mind if a snake wants to slither in or a raccoon needs a rest, but now this place is so full that I have no space to treat any injured animals." She checked the creature's temperature and brushed its head. "That is a big problem," Fluttershy nodded before smiling, "That I'm going to fix for you!" Angel moved over to her, the ducklings waddling around him. "I already have the perfect solution that'll make the critters happy and give you more space. Then you'll have all your ducks in a row!" As she said that, Angel tried to run away, but the ducklings waddled after him in a line. Fauna smiled at this, only to see the bear towelling itself off. "The sooner you fix it, the better!" The bear then threw the towel onto her, Fluttershy and Soul moving over to help her. "I'm on it!" Fauna sighed as Fluttershy grabbed Angel and left with Soul, the alicorn filly turning to her. "So how are you gonna fix this?" Fluttershy just smiled at her and spread her wings. "I'll explain later. Do you think you can gather everypony and tell them to come to my house?" Soul nodded before the pegasus flew off, going straight for her house. Iron Core glanced up and saw this, trotting down to her home as she zipped into the cottage and began flying around. He glanced inside and saw the mare drawing something on a canvas. "Fluttershy?" She looked up at him, "What's going on? You seem...strangely focused." Fluttershy giggled before glancing back at the canvas. "Can you wait a few minutes? Everypony else is coming and I'd prefer to only say this once." Iron nodded and turned to see Angel, the stallion then scratching the rabbit behind the ear. A few minutes later, Rainbow arrived followed by Pinkie and Applejack. Twilight then teleported herself, Flash, Spike, Springer and Heart outside with Rarity and Lightning arriving soon after with Soul. "I think this is everypony," Soul told Fluttershy. "I couldn't find Grand, but I think he's on patrol." "This'll do. Thank you Soul." Fluttershy patted the filly on the head before some of her birds flew in and removed the canvas from the room. "So what's this about?" Flash asked as everypony sat down around the living room. "Soul said it was urgent." "It is," Fluttershy nodded as she moved around the room before speaking up. "Dr. Fauna needs my help with a serious problem." "A friendship problem?" Twilight asked, getting a shake of the head from Fluttershy. "No. Her vet clinic is a bit...maybe, um...overrun with adorable critters in dire need of a safe place to lay their heads, and...they don't have anywhere to go!" Everypony frowned at this, Rarity speaking up, "Oh, that's just awful." "I know!" Fluttershy nodded again. Applejack then spoke up, "Yeah. Dr. Fauna's always fixin' Winona up when she ain't feelin' too fine, so helpin' her out is A-okay by me." "And she's looked after the cubs and me really well," Springer added, "Even though she didn't have the faintest clue about us, she still gave it her all and did great work. Whatever she needs, I'm happy to help." The others all nodded in agreement, Fluttershy clapping her hooves, "Oh, that's great news! Because it means you'll all be helping me with something special, too." She then had a starry eyed expression, "Something that's been a dream of mine for a long time." "Oh, goody!" Pinkie cheered, rushing over to her side. "Is your dream to make a bouncy castle shaped like a gigantic bundt cake?" "Um...no." Fluttershy turned to walk away, "Not exactly." "Oh." Pinkie's ears slumped down, "Just me then." "So?" Rainbow asked as the yellow pegasus walked into the middle of the room. "What is it, Fluttershy? Spill!" Fluttershy turned to them with a giant smile, "My dream is to build a real animal sanctuary." Everypony's eyes went wide as Fluttershy gestured to the animals around them. "A beautiful habitat where every animal, whether sick or scared or even just lonely. Feathered or furry, scaly or slimy." The ponies all found themselves beginning to tear up, though Rainbow, Iron and Lightning tried to mask it. "Every critter would be welcome. My sanctuary can be the one place in Equestria they call home 'til they feel ready to take on the world." As soon as she said that, the little critters all began to cheer while Harry the bear blew his nose into a handkerchief. "Wow, Fluttershy!" Twilight stepped up to her. "I've never heard you speak with such conviction." "Oh!" Rarity was almost in tears, "That was exquisite!" "Pretty awesome," Rainbow finished, Flash and the others defenders all nodding. "Oh," Fluttershy blushed, "Thank you, everypony. You all taught me so much about building my confidence over the years. It's because of your friendship that I finally feel able to make my dream project a reality." Her smile began to fade at this, "But I can't build the sanctuary alone. Will you help me?" "Do you even have to ask?" Flash replied, "Of course we'll help. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't?" The others all nodded again, Applejack adding, "Ah'm happy to offer my extra hooves to yah," Applejack then put a hoof to her chin, "Huh. Come to think of it, ah actually know a filly who'd be more help than ah would. She's a friend of mine from Winona's sheep-herdin' competitions. Wrangler! Heh. She's an expert in animal enclosures." "How lovely!" Fluttershy smiled, only for Pinkie to jump up and down while waving her hooves. "Ooh-ooh-ooh! I know somepony, too! Hard Hat is the best construction pony in Ponyville. He can build anything you could ever, ever, ever want!" "By any chance, is he the one that built you your Party Cave?" Pinkie just giggled and tapped her nose, "Right..." It was here that Rarity spoke up, "Hearing you all mention these experts, I am reminded that I too have the perfect pony to help capture the essence of your vision. To give it some style, some flair!" "Is it you, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked, only to hear a chuckle from the fashionista. "No! No, um...I was referring to the premiere interior designer of the Canterlot elite, Dandy Grandeur. He helped me when I was setting up my Canterlot boutique. I know that he'd be thrilled to work with you." "Wow, everypony!" Fluttershy gasped, "Thank you! I can't wait to meet all of them and hear their ideas. We're right on track to building the most wonderful sanctuary in Equestria!" Everypony cheered at this and the three headed off to contact their friends. As they did this, Futtershy declared she had her own work to do. Over the last few years, she had been saving up many bits in order to purchase the land she would need to build the sanctuary, a piece right next to her house, which was one of the reasons she chose to build it out there, in a section of the forest that no dangerous animals liked the hang around in. And so she took the bits she had saved up to town hall and after talking her plan over with the mayor, was given the deed to the land with just a few signings of her name. The next day, Pinkie, Applejack and Rarity arrived at her house with three other ponies. One was a grayish blue earth pony with a hardhat and hi-vis vest, the other was a pink earth pony mare wearing a cowboy hat and jacket while the last was a well dressed yellow unicorn with a purple mane. Her friends stayed outside while the three sat down as a snake friend of Fluttershy's slithered around wearing a bowtie and carrying a plate of sandwiches. He offered them to the ponies, who each took a sandwich while Dandy Grandeur also accepted a cup of tea. Fluttershy turned to her snake friend, "Thank you, Rupert." The snake gave a very dignified bow before slithering away, Fluttershy looking back at the three. As this happened, Iron stood in the corner ready to jump in if the need arose. "Ahem." The three turned to her as she stepped in front of a pink sheet covering the canvas she had been working on. "It's wonderful that you all could join me to discuss the Ponyville sanctuary project. My friends have so many nice things to say about each of your talents. This is a big project, so I'm happy to have such experienced ponies working on it with me." Dandy nodded. "Rarity has impeccable taste in design and friends, so I can't wait to work with you, you know?" "I-I think so." "Yee-haw!" She turned to Wrangler, who took her hat off to greet her. "I'm just lookin' forward to helpin' ya out, ma'am! And the animals." "Of course," Fluttershy nodded as Hard Hat spoke up. "So uh...Pinkie Pie said you drew up some blueprints?" "Um..." Fluttershy turned to the sheet, "Not exactly. It's more of a dream board." With that, she pulled the sheet off to reveal the canvas. It was far from the most well organised thing imaginable, being covered in sticky notes and pieces of plants, flowers and chunks of wood. At the bottom was a drawn out map that seemed to indicated what it would look like once finished. The three ponies moved over to the picture, Hard Hat commenting, "Hmmm...that sure doesn't look like an animal hospital." "Well, that's because it's not." Fluttershy replied, "It's a sanctuary. A place that is safe but not restrictive. Cozy but natural. A place where the animals can come and go as they please." She turned to the others, who stared at the vision board while a mouse appeared out of one of the plants. Iron sighed and shook his head at this, "You ever been to the zoo?" They turned to him, the three all nodding. "Well think of it like that. A large zoo without the fences. A place that's completely open so the animals can come and go whenever they feel like it." "That sounds a little dangerous," Dandy replied, "What if somepony accidently upsets a bear or something?" "We're not gonna be charging admission," Fluttershy pointed out. "Ponies can come and go also, so long as they promise not to upset any of the animals. And I'll make sure there are lots of signs so ponies can't accidently walk in. So," she gave them a semi-smile, "Can you build it?" The group were about to say that likely couldn't, but Fluttershy gave them the biggest puppy-dog eyes any of them had ever seen. They all shared a glance before giving her a forced chuckle and smile, the three nodding in unison. Fluttershy clapped her hooves at this, Iron frowning at the sight. Wrangler and Dandy both headed off to Sweet Apple Acres and Rarity's Boutique while Fluttershy, Pinkie and Iron took Hard Hat over to the area that would now become her sanctuary. It was basically an open field, surrounded by trees with a curving river running through it. "I want the sanctuary to have an open floor plan," she explained while gesturing to the area around them. "No walls. More like an enclosure that melts into the trees. With a gate in the back. That way, the animals can return to the forest right when they feel ready." "Sneaky!" Pinkie giggled, "I like it!" Fluttershy nodded, while Hard Hat rubbed his head, "You know uh, I designed the Ponyville Hospital. I could do the exact same thing right here. I still have the blueprints. Though it'll take a while to clear all these trees." "But I don't want to clear the trees. I want to use them." "Are you sure?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, "What you're talking about doesn't really seem like a cohesive structure. Or any structure I'm familiar with." "Again," Iron spoke up, "Think of a zoo. You never see lions and tigers and bears living in a house there, do you?" "He's right," Fluttershy added before pointing at a nearby hole in the ground. There, a bunch of bunnies hopped out. "Critters don't live the same way ponies do." The bunnies went back into the hole as she continued, "I know this is unconventional, but that's because we're trying to do something that's never been done before. I really believe it'll work." The chirping of birds made Hard hat turn back to the field, Iron seeing he was clearly having trouble seeing what Fluttershy was imagining. "Hmm," he shrugged, "All right then. I'll see what I can do." With that, he walked off while Pinkie moved over to Fluttershy. "See Fluttershy? Whatever you want." "Good," Fluttershy nodded before the pair left to head over to Rarity. As she did, Iron glanced back and saw Hard Hat talking to some more workers he had summoned and pulled out some blueprints. "I know she thinks she knows what's best," he told them. "But once she sees how much better it works with these plans, she'll thank us." "Uh-huh, yup," the ponies nodded while Iron walked over. "Hey! I hope you're not planning anything underhoofed that'll ruin Fluttershy's dream." "Ruin it?" Hard Hat asked, "I'm gonna save it. When we're done, this animal hospital will be the best building in all of Equestria." "It's not supposed to be a building," Iron growled, "It's supposed to be an outside enclosure." He pointed at the pony with a snarl, "How hard is it to understand something like this?!" "Well, I'm sorry," the earth pony barked back, "But I don't see how something like this could work. I mean, what if it rains? How are the animals supposed to enjoy themselves when they're suddenly soaking wet?" "The same way every other animal enjoys themselves in the rain." Iron sighed, "I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna let you ruin my girlfriend's dream." He pointed to the exit of the forest, "Leave!" "You can't do that!" Hard Hat yelled, "You're not the boss here!" Iron then hit the ground, making the dirt under them shake as Iron glared at him. Hard Hat and his workers all went wide-eyed, a long gulp going down his throat, "Alright," he and his workers spun around, "We're going. But don't expect us to come back when you start begging for us to come and build your animal hospital." "It's a sanctuary!" Iron roared as they packed up their stuff and ran off, Iron sighing again. But as this happened, Iron then facehoofed, "Oh no...now we got no workers." He glanced back at the area, his brain now racing as he now realized what he had just done. "Wait..." he took out his Celestic Gear and transformed the end into a myriad of tools that could be used to build something. "Maybe I can do it myself." He then ran over back into Ponyville and went to Rarity's boutique, spotting Lightning sitting outside while listening to his music. "Is Fluttershy in there?" He asked, but Lightning didn't respond. That is, till Iron hooked his headsphones with his spear, "BLITZ!" The unicorn yelped as he almost fell over, "Is Fluttershy in there?" "Yes," Lightning replied as he took his headphones back with a glare, "She and Rarity are talking to the Dandy pony. I couldn't understand anything he was saying, so I left." Iron rolled his eyes and stepped inside, finding the pegasus he loved sitting on a couch with Rarity. "Drab?" He heard her ask Dandy, "You're calling the colors of beautiful trees drab?!" "Exactly!" Dandy replied as he held up a swatch of fabric. "The natural look is not in right now. This is better. Trust me." Fluttershy stared at the fabric for a moment before smiling. "I appreciate your input, but I just know the animals would be happiest with dirt brown pillows and leaf green accents." Dandy looked almost disgusted at this statement, the unicorn pulling the fabric back. "I'll...look into it." he looked away while Fluttershy just showed a small smile. "Thank you." She got off the couch and turned to see Iron at the door. "Oh, Iron! I figured you stayed behind the help Hard Hat. Is everything going alright back there?" "Yes," Iron lied, "Hard Hat...just wanted to take another look at your design. You know...to make sure he captures the full beauty of your vision." "Oh," Fluttershy replied, "I'll go show him it-" "NO!" Everypony turned to Iron at this, "I mean...you've got some much to do still. Why not give me the plans to show Hard Hat? That way he'll have something to work off of." Fluttershy blinked at him, only to nod back, "Alright," she gave him the drawing, "Have fun." Iron nodded and ran out, only for Lightning to follow him at a brisk pace. "Alright, what's going on?" "Nothing," he responded, only for Lightning to teleport in front of him. Iron came to a stop, now seeing Lightning glare at him, making Iron sigh, "Fine. I might have...kinda...fired...Hard Hat." Lightning's eyes went wide at this, "Wha...why?!" "He was planning to go against Fluttershy's wishes. He would have likely built a giant hospital if I hadn't stopped him." "And why didn't you tell Fluttershy any of this?!" "She's finally gotten her confidence up enough to chase her dream! I don't wanna ruin that by telling her!" He then glanced down at the drawing before looking back up at Lightning, "It's fine. All I need to do is build this thing myself. How hard can that be?" "Famous last words." Iron's eyes narrowed at this, Lightning then sighing before telling him he would help. The two began to brainstorm what they would need, Lightning teleporting himself over to the canyon and grabbing a bunch of rocks that they could use before sending them back to the field. "Alright," Iron looked at Fluttershy's design and then at the field the sanctuary would be. "I think we should start piling the rock into the formation she wanted." "Are you sure this ground is stable enough for support all there rocks?" Lightning asked as he magically picked them up, "They're pretty...hoo...heavy." "It'll be fine," Iron replied, "This is Fluttershy's design and I'm gonna follow it to the letter." With that, he started stacking the rocks, trying to form the large structure that Fluttershy had envisioned. But as he did this, he soon found the rocks not stabilizing. The higher he went, the more unstable the tower became. "I don't think this is gonna work!" Lightning told him as he passed another rock up. "It'll work," Iron responded, "I just need to...be careful." "How do you expect an animal to live here if they have to tip-toe around the place?" He then picked up Fluttershy's plans and raised an eyebrow, "And how does she expect us to build a working waterfall out of nothing?" He looked up at Iron, as he placed the rock down, only for the pile to wobble again. "Face it, we don't know what we're doing here!" "Well, we gotta do something!" Iron cried as he slammed his hoof down, causing the tower to wobble again. He then managed to get it to stay still before carefully climbing down, sighing when he saw the multiple towers standing tall side by side. "See? It...worked." Lightning raised an eyebrow before glancing down, "Err...you might wanna look at the ground." Iron did this and went wide-eyed, now seeing the bottom rocks starting to melt into the ground, the weight being too much for the water lodged ground. "Oh no," he whispered as the towers began to sway, melting into the ground as it began to tip over. Lightning grabbed Iron and teleported them both away as the rocks began to fell. This made them crash into where they had been standing and into the stream. They reappeared a ways off, flinching at the disaster that had occurred as Lightning quickly pulled the rocks out of the water before the stream stopped. "Well, that could have gone better." "Yeah..." Iron sighed before taking out Fluttershy's design. "Maybe I need to start someplace else and do the rocks later." "Or actually find somepony that knows what they're doing," Lightning added before Iron started pushing all the rocks away. "Maybe I should start with the pool," Iron replied as he took out Piecemaker and formed a giant shovel, which he stabbed into the ground before pulling out a giant chunk of earth. He kept digging away at the ground until he was a good twelve feet down, forming a pony sized hole. "You're stuck, aren't you?" Lightning said as he stared down into the hole. "I'm not stuck," Iron barked back, "I'll just keep digging outwards until its big enough, then I'll fill it with water." He began to do this, Iron extending the pool outward until it was large enough for animals to swim around happily. "See?" he told Lightning before moving over to the area near the stream. A single large clump of earth now stood between the water and its new holding spot. "YAAAH!" He stabbed his shovel into the water and pulled it out, allowing the water in the stream to flow in. Lightning raised an eyebrow as he watched the water flow into the pool...only for it to start getting soaked up into the soil below. "Wait...what?!" Iron yelped as the water kept vanishing, "Oh, come on!" "Well well well." Iron turned to see Hard Hat and his workers smiling down at him. "I came to see what was taking you so long to ask for our help, but I didn't expect to see this kind of train wreck." "Oh, shut up," Iron growled. "At least I'm trying to build what Fluttershy wanted." "And you can see why I was skeptical to make it. Those rocks'll never stand up to this weak soil, especially with all the weakening yah did diggin out this hole." Iron let out a hiss, only for two new voices to ring out. "I say!" They all turned to see Dandy and Wrangler, "Where's the sanctuary?" the unicorn asked while showing off a bunch of curtains. "I need to see the size of the windows in order to make the curtains the right length." "Why would an outside enclosure need curtains?" Lightning replied before noticing Wrangler pulling a cart full of multiple different cages full of cushions. "Well ah'll just put dah cages over here!" She pointed to an area of the field that had remained untouched. Hard Hat laughed at this, "And if yah get out of the pit, we'll fill it back up and get to work on the actual building." Iron growled at this, refusing to leave the pit while Lightning filled up the gap between it and the stream. Meanwhile, Dandy began to lay out different materials as Iron and Hard Hat argued. It was at this point that Fluttershy arrived, eyes shining as she was giddy to see what it would like it...only for a frown to appear when she saw the cages off to the side, Dandy holding up different non-earthy materials, and Iron arguing with Hard Hat. "What's going on here?" She yelled, making everypony turn to her. "Fluttershy!" Hard Hat ran over, "I'm sorry we haven't been able to start yet. Your boyfriend's been getting in the way." Fluttershy's eyes went wide at this, making her glance down at Iron, "I only got in the way because he was trying to ignore your plans and build that hospital idea." Fluttershy turned to Hard Hat, the pony flinching before Iron added, "So I tried to build the sanctuary myself. Though I may have run into...a few issues." As he said that, the edge of the pool collapsed under the weight of the rocks near it, the whole pit was suddenly filling as Lightning pulled Iron out of it. Fluttershy ran over to make sure he was alright, then turned to the others as Hard Hat pointed to the filled-in pit, "See? This is what happens when yah don't use professionals like me and mah boys." He took out some blueprints and opened them up, "So should we start discussing some proper designs?" Dandy then jumped in front of Fluttershy, holding up the fabric he had brought. "I had hoped to show you what the curtains looked like inside the building, but we'll had to wait and see. But trust me, this color just pops!" She turned to Wrangler, who pointed at her cushion filled cage. "Quite roomy inside, really. And very safe." Iron turned to Fluttershy and saw the upset look on her face, fearing she might start breaking out in tears and shrink down to her mouse size. That is, till her eyes narrowed, her face starting to turn red, "NO!" She stomped her hooves, growing to twice her normal size. "This is not going to work at all!" The three went wide-eyed at her sudden growth, Fluttershy then shrinking back down to normal as she turned to Hard Hat before pointing at the doorway on the blueprints. "A giraffe can't fit through this door!" She turned to Dandy and pointed at his materials. "With these curtains blocking the light, how are the birds gonna sing in the sunshine?" She then stomped over to the cage, "And this is the opposite of a nice hug!" She marched over to the three. "I know you all worked hard, but none of you did anything I asked for!" Iron's jaw was on the ground, Lightning letting out a whistle, "Damn." Hard Hat turned away at this, "That's not true! We planned on using the trees, just like you asked!" "And this curtain fabric is organic!" Dandy held up the material, "It's got natural fibres!" "And I added pillows inside my cages," Wrangler finished, "That should count as feelin' like a hug!" Fluttershy took a deep breath, anger washing over her before she pointed at the three, "Now listen here, I may not know much about construction or interior design or wrangling, but I am an expert at one thing: the care of animals! And what animals need is a sanctuary, not this!" She gestured to the cages and fabric and Iron's less than stellar building work. Iron flinched at the sight, seeing Fluttershy snarl at the trio before one of them spoke up, "Maybe your vision wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, you know?" "My vision isn't the problem here!" Fluttershy screamed, "I told you all exactly what I wanted, and none of you listened to me! So while I appreciate your efforts, I no longer require your services!" She pointed at the exit, "GET OUT!" The three shared a glance before walking away, Iron watching with a smile before it vanished when Fluttershy turned to him, "And you!" He felt his body stiffen at this, "Why didn't you tell me Hard Hat was doing that?! I had a right to know!" "I'm sorry," Iron winced, "I guess...I was worried how you'd react. You've been so confident with all this that I was...scared this might knock it and make you stop trying to follow your dream." Fluttershy sighed and took a long deep breath, "I appreciate that, but you should have trusted me more Iron!" Iron flinched at this, only to see Fluttershy glare at his failure, "Now...what are we gonna do with that?!" "Good question," Lightning replied, "I hate to say it, but Hard Hat might have been right. This area might not be best suited for your design." Fluttershy frowned at this, that frown growing bigger when she turned to see Dr. Fauna walking up. "Hello!" They now all saw her, a large group of animals behind her, "Oh, the animals have been so excited for the sanctuary that they couldn't wait any longer!" She let out a laugh as she trotted over, "Can we take a look inside?" "Inside what?" Lightning asked, gesturing to the open field. Fluttershy blushed at this while the animals rushed over to them, making her gasp as they ran past and began stampeding around Iron's destroyed construct. The giraffe, goat and others went over the the remaining rock pile while the others leapt into the pit...only to not be able to get out. As this happened, Dandy had left his curtain fabric behind, the raccoons finding it and tearing it to pieces while the bear went into one of the cages. But when it did, the door slammed shut and locked it inside, making it panic as it began to thrash around. It then knocked the cage over, ripping the door off, only to cause a basket that had been on top of it to fall off and land on its head, making it roar and charge right at the rock pile. The ponies all gasped, trying to prevent what was about to happen...but it was too late. The bear ran headfirst into the rock pile, knocking the rest into the pit. Every animal inside gasped at this, trying to escape and barely managing to avoid the bigger rocks, only to get hit by the smaller ones. The shaking this caused had also knocked the animals along the side of the pit off balance, making them fall in as well. As this happened, the ponies got to the edge of the pit, looking down at all the different animals that were now injured. "Oh..." Fauna turned to them. "I'm so sorry, Fluttershy." "No," Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm the one who should be sorry. This didn't go at all like I had imagined." She stared at the ground at this, Iron seeing her eyes almost tear up. The sight made him glance away, unable to respond. Lightning then began using his magic to lift the animals out of the pit while Fluttershy and Fauna made sure they were all okay. By some miracle, none of the animals had anything worst than a few scrapes and a mild concussion in the bear's case. And once they were done, they began to lead the animals back to Fauna's clinic. Iron thought about going with them, but decided Fluttershy probably wanted to be left alone. And so, Iron returned to Fluttershy's cottage and waited for her there, Lightning heading home as well. Once there, he spotted Angel in his basket still recovering from his injured foot. Deciding to let Fluttershy off from having to care for him after the disastrous day she had had, he prepared Angel's dinner and placed it down next to him. Angel gave his rabbity thanks as Iron flopped down on the couch. "I really messed up today," he told the bunny, letting out a long sigh, "I should have just trusted her. I'm always telling other ponies not to underestimate her, but there I was underestimating her....its just like when she was reforming Discord." His eyes slowly closed at this, "I'm so horrible..." As he mumbled this out, he fully closed his eyes as he began to fell asleep. His body leaned into the couch, his back bent in a half angle as his dreams were filled with upset animals that had no place the rest, Dr Fauna's clinic exploding from the animals as a crying Fluttershy stood around the creatures. She kept saying what a failure she was, the sight making Iron squirm, only for the sound of the cottage door slamming open. WHAM! "Wha?!" He jerked up, then flinched as his back creaked due to where he was sleeping. Cricking his body, he turned to the door and saw Fluttershy with a sloth around her leg. "Shy." He got up, "I'm really sorry. I should have told you what happened." Fluttershy closed her eyes for a second, taking a small breath before she showed him her usual smile, "Thank you Iron." She placed a hoof on his. "I know you were just trying to look out for me, but I'm stronger than you think. And if I'm gonna get the sanctuary up and running, I'm gonna need you to be on my side and trust me. Can you do that?" Iron was about to nod back, only to raise an eyebrow, "Wait...you're not giving up?" "Of course not," Fluttershy nodded. "I owe it to the animals to keep trying. No matter what, I'm going to get my sanctuary up and running, even if it kills me. But like I said, I can't do it alone." She then glared at her lover, "Will you help me?" Iron smirked at the sight, nodding back. "Let's do this." Fluttershy smiled back before turning to a nearby notepad, "So what's the plan? I hate to say it, but this whole situation is proving more and more difficult." He watched as Fluttershy scribbled something down, "Especially after all the...damage I caused." "Don't worry," Fluttershy ripped off the paper before a bird flew in from outside and took it. "I'm not gonna stop, no matter how hard it seems. And as it happens, I know somepony that will be much more helpful than those other ponies." The next day... Fluttershy called all her friends back to her house, having used the previous night of taking several animals from the clinic to her place in order to free up space. Although that was now causing her house to be a little crowded, she and Iron having to ask the bear to wait upstairs until the meeting was completed. She had also made tea and coffee for them and while giving them out, the sloth wrapped around her leg. "Thanks for coming everypony. As you know, building the sanctuary didn't go quite as planned." "I know, right?" Pinkie chimed in, "Who would've guessed that Hard Hat wouldn't build whatever you want?" Rarity nodded with a frown, "I never would've invited Dandy to help if I thought he'd act in such a manner." Applejack let out a sigh, "And Wrangler sure made a fool outta me, too. Ah'm sorry, Fluttershy. "It's okay," Fluttershy assured them, "You were all just trying to help. But I know that letting all the experts go was the right call." "So what are you gonna do now?" Twilight asked before taking a sip of her tea. "Do you have to ask?" Flash added, "She's gonna try again. But this time, she's gonna do it her way." "Flash is right," Fluttershy nodded. "The animals need me, and I won't let this little set back put me down." Her friends all cheered, Rainbow then flying up to design, "How about putting an awesome flying course for the birds right there?" She pointed to a section of the plan, Fluttershy frowning and stepping back as Pinkie appeared around the back of the stand. "And a carrot cake stand here?" "Ooh," Twilight , Flash and Rarity walked up, "A library cave?" "Maybe a training area!" Flash added, "And maybe-" "Everypony, STOP!" The ponies all froze, turning to Fluttershy as she glared at them, only to sigh before showing a small smile, "I appreciate you sharing your thoughts, but I need everypony to respect mine. Other ponies may be experts in their fields, but animals are my field of expertise." She boldly strode up to the picture and pointed at it. "And if I say this is what I want, then this is what needs to happen!" She then noticed everypony smiling at her, making her blush. "Oh, um...for the animals of course." "Wow!" Pinkie laughed, "We should call you Flutter-bold now!" The others laughed as well, Heart flying up to Fluttershy. "Well you can have my help. I don't know if my fire power will be much use, but if there's anything else you need I'll be ready to rock!" "Thank you," she replied before a knocking at the door could be heard, "Oh, he's here." The others raised an eyebrow as Fluttershy walked up to the door, "To get things back on track, I called in a favor from an old friend." "But I thought you said no more experts," Twilight chimed in. "This is one expert I know I can trust to put the animals first. Plus there's nopony better at building." As she said that, Angel jumped up to grab the handle. The door opened and the ponies were greeted with the sight of a blue earth pony hardly bigger than Heart and Soul. He was dressed in overalls, had a dark blue bushy beard and wore a hat that was taller than him. The earth pony let out a chuckle as he stepped into the cottage, "Ah heard somepony needs construction help fer them critters!" "Big Daddy McColt!" Twilight cheered before walking over to hug him, then turned to the others. "We met each other back when the map called me and Fluttershy to the Smokey Mountains!" "Oh yeah," Flash nodded. "I remember you telling me about that." He turned to McColt, "How that feud of yours is still kaput." "Don't you worry none," he replied, "Things have been great since ya'll came and helped us put our difference a-seed. Ah'm just happy ah could help ya'll out." Fluttershy nodded as she marched over to him, "With his help, we'll be able to make a perfect animal sanctuary for every creature great and small. And we can trust he'll put the animal's needs first." "Well, shucks. Let's not stand around talkin' about it. LET'S BUILD US A SANCTUARY!" The ponies all cheered, the mane seven, defenders and all their friends soon beginning to work on Fluttershy's dream. And this time, things would go exactly how she wanted them to be. When they arrived at Iron's destroyed attempt at the sanctuary, Big Daddy McColt looked over Fluttershy's design and nodded. Unlike Hard Hat, he could see what Fluttershy was envisioning with this sanctuary. "Ground's to soft too hold the weight, huh?" He asked as the unicorns worked to clean up his mess. "Yeah, that's the trouble yah usually face when yer building' near a river." "So what do we do?" Fluttershy asked, "If it can't support the weight-" "Now don't yah go frettin' little lassy," McColt interrupted, "Every new place will have its own challenges. At times like this, yah got two options. Give up and find another place to build, or build for the place that yah are." "What do you mean?" McColt pointed at the rocks in her picture. "All yah need is to pick a lighter type of rock. Something that won't weigh as much, but still work as a home for yer little friends." "Well, we do know a rock expert," Iron smiled before turning to Fluttershy. She nodded back and went to go talk to Pinkie, who cheered before running off to go get her sister. McColt then kept explaining what they needed, "And maybe instead of multiple small rocks that are struck together, ya'll use one big rock. And if yah bury some of it underground, that'll mean less stress on the top." The ponies all nodded at this, starting up the work as Maud was soon brought to the place by Pinkie. She surveyed the area and wrote up a list of what rocks the area could hold up and what amount they could pile on before it became too much for the ground. Once they had gathered them along with other building materials, it was time to start work. The first thing they did was pile-drive multiple wooden stakes into the ground while also working to finish the addition to the pool that Iron had been working on. McColt told them they needed to find a way to solidify the ground, so the water wouldn't just drain away into the soil, and this was where Grand and Heart came in, both using their elemental powers to turn the soil at the bottom of the pool to rock. Heart blasted it with fire to evaporate the water in the soil while Grand filled in the cracks. They also began digging around the edge of the pool, going only two feet down. Twilight had found an old spell that was perfect for the situation, the group piling rocks into the ditch before Twilight cast the enchantment. This allowed them to melt the rocks into a liquid mass that fused together before hardening into a single solid rock, the base of which they buried to lock it into place. Twilight kept certain areas of it liquefied, Iron digging them out to form holes that the animals could live within. One hole would be halfway under where the waterline of the pool was, Twilight and Iron working to dig it out in order to create a cave that water dwellers such as ducks and otters could swim inside of when they wanted to stay out of the sun or rain but remain in the water. They also designed a bunch of small holes at the bottom of the cave, which led to a shaft going upwards until it reached the top of the rock where a long hole could be found. The idea was for the water to flow into this shaft and be pushed out of the hole to form a waterfall, which constantly recycled the water around. Once this was done, they grabbed more smaller rocks and used Twilight's magic to merge them into the main rock in certain areas. This created a bunch of different levels, looking just like something one might find in nature. The group then blocked up the entrance to the underwater cave before Twilight, Starlight, Soul, Lightning and Wild began to fill buckets and use them to fill up the the pool. Spike used a ruler to make sure they filled it enough before giving Iron the signal. When they did, he used Piecemaker to dig out the last bit of dirt that split the stream from the pool. This allowed the water to flow in and join up with the water already there while Twilight removed the rock they had used to block the cave. The water flowed into the cave and a few minutes later, spouting back out the top and forming the waterfall that completed the cycle of constantly flowing water. This made them smile, happy that the most proliferate fixture of the sanctuary was completed. After that, they started adding multiple different trees to the area surrounding the rocks, a different one for every type of animal that might show up. There were palm trees, fruit trees and large trunked trees that they used to build multiple tiny tree houses out of. They also planted several flowers and added a bridge that the animals could use to cross the stream. Then it was just a matter of ascetics. Pinkie and Wild added a tire swing, which was tired around a log that they stuck to the top of a rock using a special glue potion Apple Bloom had gotten from Zecora. Rarity had created several hammocks that they tied between trees while the CMC, Soul, Springer and Grand built several wooden platforms on the side of trees that could hold feeding stations. They even made special pillows with strings that could be tied around branches so that animals could rest on them comfortably. It was a lot of hard work, but together the group managed to build Fluttershy's dream sanctuary exactly the way she wanted it. And when the pegasus saw it, she shined the biggest smile she could, turning to McColt before the pair high-hoofed at their accomplishment. It was perfect. The next day, Fluttershy and Fauna were walking through the trees in front of the new sanctuary. When they reached the edge, Fluttershy asked the vet to cover her eyes. She did so as the pegasus led her across the field, making sure she didn't trip since she was only on three legs. "Are you ready?" She asked once they reached their destination. "Oh," Fauna shivered, "I'm more excited than a beaver in a log pile!" "Okay," Fluttershy lowered Fauna's leg, "You can open your eyes!" She did just that and was greeted to the most amazing sight imaginable. "Welcome to Sweet Feather Sanctuary, a safe and cozy retreat for everycreature!" Fauna gasped in amazement at the sight. She saw a bear relaxing in a hammock, ducks and otters enjoying the river and many other animals playing, eating and simply living their best lives. "Oh, Fluttershy! This is amazing!" Fluttershy smiled back, "Now you should have plenty of room at the clinic. Because once you've treated them, they can recover here! With my help, of course." As she said that, she turned to the sloth from earlier crawling along the ground. "It's okay, Lola." She picked her up and placed her on her back. "We all move at our own pace." She then trotted over to the tree that Rarity had put a pillow on, allowing Lola to climb up her leg as she pointed it at the branch. The sloth crawled onto the pillow and began to relax on it as Fluttershy said, "Sometimes, all we need to do is believe in our dreams. And when we finally reach our goal, we'll know that it was worth what it took to get there." Fauna stepped up to her, Iron also walking out of the trees to stand beside them. "Because the view will be even better than you imagined!" They all smiled at the sight of the sanctuary, something that would no doubt become a stable of Ponyville and Equestria in the years to come. No matter what obstacles one found themselves facing, they could overcome them as long as they kept trying and had friends willing to stand beside them. It may be tough, but nothing in this world worth having comes easy. But that just means that having it is even more special.