Fluttershy had always had a dream to go beyond just her humble cottage as a place to care for animals big and small alike. It had been a dream ever since she'd bought the cottage upon moving to Ponyville so many years ago. Yet it was a dream she had kept to herself, constantly putting it off for "some other time". And it had been that way for as long as she could remember.
It would take an unlikely turn of events to not only give her a reason to remember that dream again, but also make her want to see it become a reality.
The events that would lead to this started out innocently enough. Fluttershy had set up several stacks of books in a room in her cottage in order to help Angel practice for a contest he'd really wanted to enter. Fluttershy just couldn't say no to her pet rabbit no matter how much she might want to.
When everything was set up, the animal loving pegasus turned on a phonograph that crackled to life and began to play rather heroic sounding music. Nervously, she watched as Angel darted about from place to place, jumping back and forth between stacks of books to gain altitude.
"Oh, be careful, Angel!" Fluttershy nervously called, barely able to keep her eyes on her pet while he was getting ever higher. It wasn't long before the most dangerous part of the little obstacle course was upon the bunny. He would have to jump from one set of books to the other, a gap that seemed quite large.
Judging his moment carefully, Angel jumped off the right side stack and extended his feet out to try to reach the left side. Alas, he'd made a miscalculation on the distance. And as the phonograph scratched the record to bring the music to a sudden stop, the rabbit fell to the floor with a thud!
Fluttershy rushed over at once, afraid of a disaster! "Are you okay, Angel?!" She asked her pet.
At first, Angel was certain he was fine. But then he tried to move one of his legs and felt a sharp jolt of pain surge through his body. That was enough to make the normally tough rabbit start to cry and wail audibly.
Fluttershy quickly scooped her pet up and half consoled/half scolded him. "Oh, I tried to tell you entering the Ponyville Paw-kour Contest was a bad idea. I tried to tell you it was too dangerous, but you just wouldn't listen to me," She let out a sigh. "Oh well, it can't be helped. You just rest here, and I'll have you all fixed up in no time. And from now on, maybe you'll listen to me before you get any more crazy ideas in your head."
Angel said nothing, he was too fixated on his pain.
The animal loving pegasus trotted over to the cabinet where she kept her stash of emergency supplies just for her pet. But a quick scan of the cabinet revealed a troubling development. "Oh dear, somehow I've run out of bunny footbraces and I forgot to stock up on more," She observed, turning back to Angel. "We'll have to pay a visit to Dr. Fauna. I just hope she'll have room in her busy schedule to see you. Come to think of it, she's been busy for quite a long time now. I wonder why."
Those were details for another time and place though, Fluttershy knew that at the moment it was imperative she get Angel's broken foot tended to as soon as possible. She carefully prepared to transport her pet to Ponyville's premiere (and only official for that matter) vet, making sure that she had a pillow in the wagon to prop up the broken foot so that Angel wouldn't have to put pressure on it.
The pegasus mare had just left her cottage when she happened to cross paths with Diamond Tiara. "Oh, Diamond Tiara. I'm sorry, this is a bad time. Angel's hurt and I need to take him to Dr. Fauna to get treated."
"And here I was hoping to ask if I could get a pet of my own," Diamond Tiara lamented. "I even brought my own allowance to pay for one and everything. Who cares what Mother thinks? I know I'm responsible enough. I'm even a part-time student of the princess of friendship for crying out loud. Obviously, she thinks I can be trusted."
Fluttershy quickly replied. "Tell you what, Diamond Tiara? Help me get Angel to Dr. Fauna, and then I promise we'll talk about you getting a pet. There's a lot to consider before you buy one, it is a big responsibility and undertaking after all."
Diamond Tiara was eager to agree. "Say no more! I'll be the best helper ever! I haven't really started on my part time studies with Princess Twilight yet, but this is the next best thing. Anything's better than having to go back home and spend all day in the mansion by myself. It's not the same when there's only the hired help to talk to."
The pegasus with a beautiful yellow coat simply hoofed the hitch of the wagon to Diamond, instructing the headgear wearing filly on how to pull it so that she wouldn't make things worse for the injured Angel.
Tiara obeyed without question, and with her help Angel was transported across town to Dr. Fauna's office in a matter of minutes. "I always thought Fluttershy was a vet. I wonder what she is if Dr. Fauna is the only vet in town." She thought to herself, making a mental note to ask that question later on.
But to Fluttershy's dismay, she found the door to Dr. Fauna's office appeared to be locked. "Oh, I was so sure she'd be here today. I guess she must not have room for any unscheduled patients," Still, she'd come all this way and decided that it wouldn't hurt to knock on the door. "Hello?" She called while rapping a hoof against said door. "Is anypony in there?"
Never had Fluttershy been more relieved than when she heard Dr. Fauna call from the other side of the door. "Fluttershy, is that you?" A moderate orange eye poked through the small keyhole below the door and saw the animal loving pegasus on the other side. "It is you! Oh, am I glad! I could sure use your help right about now!"
Fluttershy stepped back and blinked in surprise. "Really? You need my help? I was coming here because there was something I needed you to do for me."
The door to Dr. Fauna's office promptly opened a few seconds later, and out strolled the vet herself in all her glory. She was an earth pony of average height that had a light yellow coat. In addition to her moderate orange eyes she had an alternating curly mane and tail of pale, light grayish blue and bluish gray and a cutie mark depicting a dog, a cat and a white bird. She was currently wearing her white vet's outfit that only covered half of her body. And several animals followed her outside.
"Oh my!" Fluttershy exclaimed! "I had no idea it was this bad!"
Dr. Fauna nodded. "As you can clearly see, my place is just bursting with animals! I don't think I can take in even one more critter right now!" She then looked at Angel. "Oh dear, did my favorite bunny go and break his leg? How unfortunate. Let's get that into a cast so he can go home and rest. I won't be able to keep him overnight, I'm afraid."
The animal loving pegasus nodded back. "I'll do what I can to help, Dr. Fauna. But it seems like this is becoming a frequent problem for you."
The vet sighed. "Being the only licensed vet in town can have its drawbacks. But it's never been as bad as it is now. I just can't keep up with the demand, and I can't keep relying on you to help me out all the time," Then she turned back to Angel. "But we can worry about that after I get my favorite patient all fixed up."
Yet as Angel was wheeled inside the vet's office, Fluttershy was thinking to herself. "This isn't right! Dr. Fauna needs more help than I can give on my own! It's time I did something about it! And I know just what that something is!" And just like that, her long put off dream was finally ready to take the first step towards becoming a reality. Though even the pegasus couldn't have anticipated where the development and construction would lead.
Dr. Fauna's office was just as chaotic inside as it was outside. "Wow, this place is like a zoo!" Diamond Tiara commented in disbelief.
Dr. Fauna sheepishly replied. "It usually is. Even so, I've been busier than ever lately! Normally, 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, as you can clearly see."
Fluttershy seemed to realize at once what the problem was. "I've been telling everypony what a wonderful job you do as Ponyville's vet," She commented. "In fact, I've been saying that in my opinion, you're the best licensed vet in all of Equestria."
The earth pony mare gasped! "No wonder I've been getting up to my neck in new patients as of lately! And some of them are determined to stay even after they're all fixed up."
"Oh dear," Fluttershy remarked as she recognized her mistake. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen, Dr. Fauna. It's just that... well... every animal in your care always seems to feel safe and happy."
The vet just replied. "I'm glad you think so highly of me, Fluttershy. But unfortunately, all that praise has made my job all that much harder now," She then sighed while going to retrieve a foot brace for Angel. "I hate having to ask for your help all the time, but now I could really use it. I'll never be able to keep up with the demand at this rate!"
However, the animal loving pegasus had a different idea in mind. "I'm the reason you're in this mess in the first place, Dr. Fauna. That means I need to do something to fix it," She then boldly declared. "Fortunately, I know just what that something is. It's something I've always dreamed of doing but never found the time to get around to it. Until now, that is."
Dr. Fauna seemed to realize at once what Fluttershy was suggesting. "You're actually going to go through with it?"
Fluttershy firmly nodded. "Yes! There's no better time! You deserve to have something that can ease your burden, and it's also something that'll be a boost to my job as well."
Diamond Tiara scratched her head as she looked up at Fluttershy and questioned. "What do you mean? I've never heard you talk about having a dream. Is it something like how Rarity opened boutiques in other cities or Rainbow Dash joined the Wonderbolts?"
The pegasus replied as a now foot braced Angel was brought to her. "Not on the same scale. But if I'm going to make my dream a reality, there's a lot that will have to happen first," She then told the filly. "You'll see soon enough, I promise."
Fluttershy was as good as her word. She brought Angel home and made sure he would be okay, then she immediately sent word to let her friends know she wanted them to come over to her cottage right away.
All of her friends obeyed without hesitation even though many of them were quite busy with their own lives. When any of their friends needed help, that usually took priority.
All were soon gathered in the front of Fluttershy's cottage as the pegasus prepared her presentation. "I want to thank you all for rushing over here so quickly," She told her friends and then explained. "It's come to my attention that Dr. Fauna needs my help with a very serious problem."
"What sort of problem?" Twilight was the first in the group to ask.
"Well, it's kind of a problem of my own creation," Fluttershy reluctantly explained as she tried not to look too embarrassed. "I went around talking up how great Dr. Fauna was, and now her office is swamped with animals. Adorable critters big and small alike, which don't have any place to go when they're looking for a safe place to rest!"
Rarity dramatically gasped! "That's awful!"
Fluttershy was quick to agree. "I know. And I feel so bad that I've at least unintentionally made it worse by encouraging everypony and every animal to go to her for help."
Applejack then declared. "Dr. Fauna's always fixin' Winona up whenever she ain't feelin' fine, so helpin' her out is A-okay by me."
"I second that opinion!" Rainbow Dash eagerly chimed in! "We're always happy to help a pony in need!"
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie proclaimed!
The animal loving pegasus smiled. "That's good to hear, because that means you're all going to be helping me with something special. Something that's been a dream of mine for a very long time. And now, finally, the time has come for me to turn that dream into a reality!"
Starlight inquired. "So, what is your dream, Fluttershy? I assume that's why you called us all here?"
Fluttershy quickly confirmed. "Indeed it is," Clearing her throat, she then trotted over to a nearby wooden stand and pulled off a cover over a canvas. "My is to build a real animal sanctuary: Sweet Feather Sanctuary. It'll be right by my cottage. In fact, it'll be like it's an expansion of my cottage."
When the cover was removed it was possible for all in the room to see the canvas that depicted the rough sketch of what the sanctuary was to look like. It seemed so beautiful, so massive. It had lush green fields, tropical trees, hammocks and caves of all sizes. And running through the middle of it was a beautiful stream.
Spike summed up the feelings of all present in the room when his eyes went wide and he simply exclaimed! "Wow!"
Fluttershy then explained. "It'll be a beautiful habitat! A place where every animal whether they're sick, scared or even just lonely can come. And whether they're feathered, furry, scaly or slimy they'll all be welcome. It'll be the one place in Equestria they can all call home 'til they feel ready to take on the world."
The speech was met with a chorus of applause from the pegasus' friends, and some animals that were assisting her with the presentation chimed in with their own feedback of chirps and roars.
"So this is your big dream!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed as she looked over the drawing again. "I can see why you've always been putting it off. This looks like it'll be a big undertaking."
"It is, but now I'm finally confident that the time is right for me to take that undertaking," Fluttershy explained. "Over the years I've learned so much about building my confidence. And that confidence is what has inspired me to make my dream project a reality."
Diamond was still a little unsure. "I know it's not gonna happen overnight, but how do you plan on getting this sanctuary built in the first place?" She questioned. "How do you even know where to start?"
At that the pegasus mare with a butter yellow coat confessed. "Well, I did reach out to somepony for help. But it's gonna be a few days before he can get here. He knows a lot about animals, and has learned a lot about building things thanks to some friends of his. However, just two ponies aren't gonna be enough to get the sanctuary up and running," She looked to her friends. "I know you're all busy, but I was hoping you could all lend a helping hoof if possible."
Rainbow Dash declared! "You didn't even have to ask, of course we'll say yes!" She then eyed the sketch. "And you know what? I think there's a way we can make your sanctuary even better. You ever thought about putting in a racing course for the birds? It'll be a great way to keep them in shape." She proposed.
"Why not add a carrot cake stand here?" Pinkie Pie pointed to a corner of the sketch. "Who wouldn't love something like that?"
And Twilight had her eyes drawn to the caves. "Ooh! You mentioned a book club with your animal friends once, why not turn one of the caves into a library? Or maybe you could build one into a tree like the one I used to live in?"
Fluttershy immediately chuckled in protest. "Thank you, everypony. But those ideas will not be necessary. I'm willing to be open to suggestions, but stuff like library caves and racing courses are definitely not what my sanctuary's going to need if it'll be successful," She then added. "What I could really use are some recommendations on who to recruit to help me build it."
Pinkie Pie immediately jumped up and shouted! "I know just the pony, Fluttershy! Hard Hat is the top construction pony in Ponyville and has been for years. He can build anything you could ever, ever, ever want! He'll be perfect for your sanctuary's construction!"
Applejack then suggested. "And I know a pony who might just be handy for all of this. I know a mare from Winona's herdin' days: Goes by the name of Wrangler. She's a natural at animal enclosures, I've seen her work first hoof."
"I'm not sure a herder would be of much use for an open sanctuary," Diamond Tiara hesitantly commented. "And I don't know if Hard Hat's the best pony for the job. I've heard Mother and Father mention how he can be very difficult to work with sometimes."
"I have to at least give them a fair shot," Fluttershy reassured Diamond Tiara. "I'm not afraid to stand up for what I believe in. But at the same time I know that my vision is probably gonna have to change a little from how it's shown here. Having a dream is fine for a start, but dreams and ideas don't always turn out exactly the way we intend. A herder might be useful if any animal tries to escape, and Hard Hat's credibility speaks for itself in many of the amazing buildings Ponyville's seen in recent years."
Tiara nervously declared. "Well, I guess you do have to give them a chance until that other pony you contacted gets here. And I'll try to do my part to help out."
Fluttershy just patted the headgear wearing filly gently on the forehead. "Don't worry. There'll still be plenty of things for you and all my friends to do when construction of the sanctuary begins. And once the sanctuary is ready to open, I know I can count on you to recommend places to advertise to draw word. I promise, you'll be amazed at what my sanctuary will be like when all's said and done."
The following day, Diamond could hardly wait for school to end so she could rush across town to Fluttershy's cottage! She knew the sanctuary wasn't officially going to start construction on day one, Hard Hat and Wrangler would have to see what they were working with and supplies would have to be brought in, to say nothing of a final design being agreed upon. But even so, the sanctuary was all the filly could think about. "It'll be the most amazing thing ever!" She thought to herself! "And it'll prove to my mother that lessons with Princess Twilight are worth it. If one of the princesses friends can build an amazing sanctuary, anything will be possible!"
When the bell rang to dismiss class at the end of the day, Tiara was ecstatic! She raced to Fluttershy's cottage as fast as she could, hopeful to see some signs of progress and more hopefully something for her to do. She felt kind of bad for leaving her friends behind on such short notice, especially since she wasn't actually going to be with Twilight or Starlight. But it was overshadowed by the delight of getting to see a sanctuary be built from the ground up. That was an experience you didn't get to have every day.
While the pink coated earth pony filly was on her way to Fluttershy's cottage, Fluttershy was currently meeting with both Hard Hat and Wrangler. She had a huge clearing of open land beside her cottage that she had decided would be perfect for the sanctuary, and was preparing to receive her first feedback from these two experts that her friends had recommended to her. Both were earth ponies, though Hard Hat was a bit bulkier.
Hard Hat had a sort of cobalt gray coat with dark blue eyes. His sea green mane and tail were cut short, and atop his mane rested a hard hat similar to the one displayed on his flank for a cutie mark. As for Wrangler, she had a plain pink coat with blue eyes. She had a mane and tail that were two shades of dusty brown in color and kind of swirled. Her cutie mark was a long leash curling around.
"It's wonderful that you could both come here to discuss my dream project: Sweet Feather Sanctuary," Fluttershy greeted them both while one of her snake friends (named Rupert) served her invited guests refreshments. "It means a lot that you'd both take time out of your very busy schedules to help me with this. My friends who recommended you had nothing but high praise to offer regarding your expertise, so I hope you'll be a big assistance in getting this project off the ground."
Wrangler enthusiastically declared! "I'm mighty happy to be workin' with ya, ma'am. And I've even more happy to be helpin' them animals. I reckon it's about time they had a place to call home."
Hard Hat was noticeably more restrained in his excitement. "Pinkie Pie told me you needed my help, and I'm always happy to add another big project to broaden my resume," Then he cleared his throat. "So uh... I assume you've got some blueprints or something along those lines to show me? Can't really start 'til I know what I'm workin' with."
"Not really a blueprint so much as a dream board," Fluttershy answered as she trotted over to her sketch on the wooden stand, showing it off to both Wrangler and Hard Hat. "Think of this as a rough sketch for what the sanctuary should look like."
"A sanctuary?" Hard Hart gulped. "Never built one of those before."
The animal loving pegasus just explained. "It's going to be a bit unconventional, but I'm confident you'll know how to make it work. I want the sanctuary to be safe but non-restrictive, cozy but natural. A place where the animals can come and go as they please."
Hard Hat quickly proposed. "You sure you want it to be like that? I've still got the blueprints from my last big project and I'm pretty sure I could tweak them to fit your... uh... design."
"Whatever your blueprints are, I don't think they're what my sanctuary would be looking for," Fluttershy declared. "I plan to use every bit of space available to me, even the trees. Besides, we're dealing with animals and not ponies. Animals don't live the same way ponies do. I know it's probably not anything you're used to building, but I'm sure you've had unusual requests before."
Hard Hat stood up as Wrangler joined him. "Well... I'll see what I can do, miss. Let me at get a good look at the land you're using so I know how much space I have to work with."
Wrangler nodded in agreement. "Same here," And she was quick to add. "Somethin' tells me you ain't gonna be interested in cages."
The animal loving pegasus protested as she prepared to lead the two "experts" out to the open space behind her cottage. "Cold cages won't make the animals in my sanctuary feel welcome at all."
Wrangler reluctantly shrugged her hooves. "Well, you're the boss. And as I always say 'The boss is the boss.'" But it was clear from her tone of voice alone that she was rather uncomfortable with what she was being tasked with. And the same held true for Hard Hat.
Diamond Tiara came upon the scene just as Fluttershy had finished explaining everything to her two helpers. "That's more or less where I want everything to be," The pegasus told the two. "Think you can make it happen?"
Hard Hat proposed. "You still sure you don't wanna see my blueprints? I'm thinking we could make something similar to Ponyville General Hospital. I mean, it would take a while to work around the trees, but it could work."
"And are you absolutely sure you don't want any cages just in case?" Wrangler commented. "Could always use 'em for transport. I'll even add in pillows and blankets for extra comfort."
Fluttershy just replied. "Thanks but no thanks, I already told you I'm not interested in such things," She tried to reassure the two by telling them. "I may not be much of an expert when it comes to construction or herding, but I like to think I know more than a thing or two when it comes to the care of animals. And that's the sort of thing I want to see reflected in Sweet Feather Sanctuary."
Before either earth pony could reply, Diamond came trotting up to Fluttershy. "Oh, Fluttershy. I thought you would've already had the sanctuary up and running," She nervously giggled. "But it looks like you haven't even started yet. Guessing there's not much I can do now."
But the animal loving pegasus had an idea. "Actually, Diamond Tiara. I was supposed to help Dr. Fauna again today, but I'm going to be busy overseeing the groundbreaking for my dream sanctuary," Hoofing the filly a yellow colored paper note she proposed. "Why don't you deliver this to Dr. Fauna and tell her I'll be busy today? In fact, tell her I'll be probably unavailable all week long."
"The whole week?!" The headgear wearing filly exclaimed with shock and surprise!
Fluttershy reassured her young charge. "Canterlot wasn't built in a day, you know. And the same goes for this sanctuary. But I promise, it'll be well worth the wait. It'll be just what Dr. Fauna and all the animals truly need. It may not seem like much right now, but in time it'll be a dream come true."
Tiara took the piece of paper into her hooves and gave a small salute. "You can count on me, Fluttershy! I'll get this note to Dr. Fauna in no time!"
Fluttershy then suggested. "While you're doing that, why don't you stop by Rarity's place and ask her for some suggestions on window design? I'll need them for things like the storage cave so I can see everything. If there's ever a problem in my sanctuary, I'll want to know right away."
"You got it!" Diamond happily exclaimed and then raced away as fast as her little legs could carry her. As she did so a thought occurred to her. "This must be what the hired help feel like every day. I really should find a way to make it up to them. Randolph especially. But how to do that without Mother finding out?"
Tiara made it Dr. Fauna's office in what she felt was record time, soon delivering the notice to the vet who was still swamped with animals both in need of care and those just wanting to relax.
"A sanctuary?! In Ponyville?!" Dr. Fauna exclaimed when she read over the note. "In all the years I've known Fluttershy, I never imagined she'd actually get around to building one. It was always something she kept saying she'd build 'some day' but I always felt that 'some day' would never come. I guess 'some day' is today."
Diamond nodded before she shuddered. "I'm really worried about it, Dr. Fauna. They say Fluttershy's a changed pony, but it doesn't seem like she really knows what's she doing with that sanctuary. And I don't know if her 'vision' is rubbing off on the ponies she's hired to help construct it, or at least break ground on it."
Dr. Fauna gave the frightened filly a reassuring pat on the head. "Now don't you worry your pretty little head about Fluttershy. If this sanctuary means as much as to her as it does to me, I'm sure she'll find a way to make it happen. And I'm also more than confident in her ability to stand up for what she believes in. However, there are times when compromising on our dreams isn't such a bad thing."
The pink coated filly inquired. "What makes you say that? It doesn't like Fluttershy's friends got to where they are by compromising on what they believed in. After all, Rarity's got successful boutiques in Canterlot and Manehattan, Rainbow Dash is the most popular addition to the Wonderbolts in recent history and Twilight's the princess of friendship for crying out loud."
The earth pony vet nodded and smiled. "Yet I'm sure they can tell you there were times where they didn't always get everything they wanted."
Diamond put a hoof to her chin. "Now that I think about it, I think I remember Princess Twilight saying something about the first Grand Galloping Gala she and her friends attended. I always wanted to go to that event. But after hearing how it went for Princess Twilight and her friends, I'm not so sure it's a good idea."
Dr. Fauna gave a light chuckle in reply. "I've heard countless stories from Fluttershy about that gala, about how it all went so wrong. And the lesson she and her friends learned from said gala is that sometimes our dreams don't come true, at least not the first time," After she recovered, she told the filly. "It was because they didn't give up on their dreams that Fluttershy and her friends were able to have a more enjoyable gala the second time. The trick can be in how we manage our expectations."
The wing flaps of some birds and the growling of other animals soon broke the relative quiet that had befallen the vet's office while Dr. Fauna had been chatting with Diamond Tiara. "Oh, I really should get back to my patients now," She declared. "But be sure to tell Fluttershy we'll be swinging by when the sanctuary is up and running. The animals have been so excited for it, they can hardly wait! And I can hardly wait myself!"
"Will do, Dr. Fauna!" Diamond agreed, before she remembered something else. "Say, do you think you could convince my mother that I'm responsible enough to have a pet of my own? I was going to ask Fluttershy, but now it seems there won't really be time to talk with her about it. I don't wanna give her something else to worry about on top of everything that goes into building a sanctuary."
The vet giggled as she told her fellow earth pony. "I'm sure you'd be a fairly reasonable and responsible pet owner, but I have a feeling your mother has other reasons for not wanting you to get one. Pets are a very big undertaking, you know. And they can be quite expensive too."
"Good thing I have my allowance saved up from the times Father made me have to do work for other ponies," Diamond Tiara boasted. "Foalsitting the Cake Twins wasn't easy, but the money I made almost made up for what I had to go through with them. Key word being: Almost."
After a quick visit to Carousel Boutique to get Rarity's opinion on suitable window designs, Diamond Tiara headed back to Fluttershy's cottage. Hopefully by now there would be some progress on the sanctuary's construction, some sign that everything was under control.
As the filly drew close to the site that had been set aside for the sanctuary, however, her cornflower blue eyes saw a sight that gave her room for concern: Hard Hat was speaking (or perhaps arguing was the better word for it) with two other earth ponies that were also wearing hard hats, clad in orange safety vets like Hard Hat and carrying tool belts. The earth pony stallion to Hard Hat's left was an earthly light brown in color with dark blue eyes and a dusty black and mane tail. He had a cutie mark depicting a brown colored hammer of some kind. And the stallion to Hard Hat's right had a grayish coat color with a darker gray wavy mane and tail, bluish-green eyes and a cutie mark depicting a wrench.
The source of the argument appeared to be a blueprint currently resting atop a small wooden table. And as Diamond drew closer she could just make out some of the arguments being made between the three stallions.
"I'm telling you, boss," The grayish coated stallion audibly grumbled. "This is a waste of time. Fluttershy hasn't a clue as to what she's doing, her vision is flawed. You know far more about building than she does. We can easily tweak this blueprint to make it fit the land here, and there'll still be plenty of room for those trees and caves she wants."
Hard Hat retorted with narrowed eyes. "I already offered that to Fluttershy at least a half a dozen times, Steam Roller, and she said no. If we go behind her back and build something she doesn't want, we'll get fired. That means we don't get paid. You want that?!"
The light brown coated stallion just pleaded. "But sir, we've got nothing to go on besides that sketch that barely shows anything. How can we build something that doesn't exist?"
Hard Hat said in reply. "Fluttershy's given me some guidelines, and she already went and bought up all the land for this project. Like it or not, Jack Hammer, we have to do what she wants. A job's a job. And don't forget, she's a friend of the princess who lives here. We go behind her back and we're disobeying an order from a friend of royalty. No way ponies won't find out what happened. Word will spread and nopony will hire us to build anything."
Jack Hammer and Steam Roller just said together. "Well, maybe her 'vision' isn't all it's cracked up to be. We'll be the laughing stocks of the town if we go along with this."
Hard Hat sighed. "I understand your concerns. I'll do my best to get Fluttershy to be more supportive of changes to her sketch, but in the mean time we've got to build it the way she wants it. It's not our job to question the wishes of the client, even if we might know better," He promptly folded up the blueprint. "We're not gonna speak another word about this unless I say otherwise: Understand?!"
Steam Roller and Jack Hammer gulped and reluctantly nodded simultaneously while saying. "Yes sir, understood sir."
The construction forepony groaned as he walked away from the table. "I'm starting to regret taking up this job. It's been nothing but a headache and it's only been one day."
Wrangler (who happened to be nearby) spoke up in agreement. "You're tellin' me. It's so frustratin' to see everythin' you wanna do get shot down 'cause 'the boss' says no and yet she barely has anythin' to show for what she wants. If not for the fact that she's payin' good money for my services, I wouldn't bother to stay. I'd up and walk away. Not my fault she doesn't think cages can ever be warm and welcomin'."
"You think maybe we oughta go on strike?" Hard Hat proposed, his tone of voice making it difficult to tell if he was sincere or not. "She'd have to listen to us then!"
"I've got half a mind to go on strike this very minute," Wrangler ominously proclaimed. "But I reckon if we did do that, she'd just fire us on the spot and we'd get nothin'. I say we give it the rest of today, and she ain't offerin' more details by tomorrow then our hooves will be forced more or less."
Hard Hat appeared to nod in agreement. "Yeah, give us a day to think and sleep on it."
Tiara could hardly believe her ears! Her happy mood from before had faded away completely now! She knew she had to tell Fluttershy about these troubling developments right away! The animal loving pegasus had to be made aware of what was going on behind her back!
Fluttershy had just finished digging a spot for the stream to flow through her sanctuary (once filled up of course). Initial preparations and groundwork seemed to be going smoothly. "Now if only I had all the help I wanted to have available," She thought to herself as her thoughts turned to the one "expert" who would not be arriving until tomorrow at the earliest. "It's too bad he lives so far away and there are no reliable ways for him to make it out here."
Well, in the meantime the animal loving pegasus mare had Hard Hat and Wrangler to work with. And her friends had already agreed to pitch in tomorrow (and the next day too for that matter). She was confident that her sanctuary would be finished and ready to open by the end of the week, more than capable of taking in the animals resting at Dr. Fauna's office.
However, right as Fluttershy was preparing to meet back up with the two earth ponies, Diamond Tiara came running up to her while panting heavily. "Fluttershy... you'll... never... believe... what... I... just... heard..."
"What is it, Diamond Tiara?" The pegasus mare inquired. "And does this mean you took care of my errands?"
Diamond confirmed with a nod, then paused for a moment to catch her breath. However, once she did so she immediately started blurting out all at once. "I overheard Hard Hat and Wrangler talking about your vision and how they don't like it and how they're thinking they may go on strike to force you to listen to them and it sounds so horrible I had to make sure you knew about it!"
Surprisingly, Fluttershy had no trouble at all making out the filly's fast paced statement of shock. And the pegasus herself was anything but frightened or concerned by what she'd heard. "Thank you for telling me this, Diamond Tiara."
Tiara's shock quickly became replaced by confusion. "Wait, didn't you hear me?"
"I most certainly did. I've been around Pinkie Pie long enough to learn how to decipher crazy fast speaking," Fluttershy replied with a smile that seemed ill-fitting given the circumstances. "I can deal with the problem myself. Such problems should be addressed promptly before they get out of hoof."
The pink coated filly then watched as she saw Fluttershy start to walk away and head towards Hard Hat and Wrangler's location. "What does Fluttershy think she's doing?" The filly wondered. "Is she going to fire them?"
Hard Hat and Wrangler were quite surprised to suddenly be face to face with the very pony they'd accepted their job offers from. Wrangler was the first to ask. "Uh, can we help with you something, miss... I mean, boss?"
The pegasus mare kept a neutral expression on her face while she replied. "Yes there is. It has come to my attention that neither of you are satisfied with my plans for this sanctuary. I'm not naming names."
Hard Hat and Wrangler gulped as Hard Hat tried to protest. "You... you've got it all wrong, boss. We're happy to help you no matter what. Who are we to tell you what to do when you're the one who hired us?"
Wrangler agreed while gesturing a hoof. "Yeah, what he said. We're gettin' paid good money for this, why would we wanna throw that all away by disobeyin' your orders?"
Fluttershy wasn't convinced for even a second. "You don't have to lie to me or wait until I've turned my back to say what you really think. Ever since I called on you you've both been rather uncomfortable whenever talking to me about what my plans for the sanctuary are," She sternly added. "I appreciate that you don't want to hurt my feelings, but you're hurting them even more by trying to lie to me and planning to go on strike. If there's a problem, you can say it to my face. After all, I hired you both because I was told you were the best ponies at your craft. I figured you could help guide me."
"Guide you to what?" Hard Hat questioned. "We haven't had anything to go on besides that rough sketch of yours that tells us nothing!"
Wrangler agreed again as she added. "We're not miracle workers. We can't turn some vague concept into a reality, especially when it seems you don't know what you want."
"Which is why I'd be more than happy to discuss ways to modify my plans. Ways that will make the sanctuary a reality even if it's not exactly as I originally envisioned it," The pegasus mare proclaimed. "When I hire experts, I expect honest expert opinions. And I expect the experts to tell me if there's a problem instead of pretending there isn't one. So, if you still want to work for me and still get paid, we can discuss what ideas you two have for the sanctuary and whether I think they're good or not. Otherwise, you're free to leave now and find work elsewhere."
The two earth ponies remained silent for a long time, neither one able to bring themselves to said a word of any sort.
Fluttershy confidently trotted away while telling the two. "I'll be around if you want to talk to me. Take as much time as you need to think about what works best for you," And then she returned to a now speechless Diamond Tiara. "The matter has been dealt with." She reassured her young charge.
When at last Diamond Tiara found the words to speak she could only find herself able to say. "Wow! I think everypony should start calling you 'Flutterbold' now!"
The animal loving pegasus giggled. "Oh, I know. I can hardly believe how much I've changed over the years. But I'm glad I did."
Diamond then questioned. "So, you're not going to fire them?"
"Not unless they refuse to leave willingly if they don't want to work for me," Fluttershy explained. "I want my dream sanctuary more than anything, but I also know that turning that dream into a reality may mean I have to compromise on some of the things I want. But I can't get it done alone, and if I'm going to hire other ponies I have to be willing to at least consider what they think. Everypony is an expert in their own field. It doesn't always mean they're right about everything, but that does mean they usually know more about certain things than we may do."
Tiara then spoke up. "You should tell that to my mother. She thinks she know everything about everything. She never likes to be told no."
Fluttershy giggled. "Your mother is an excellent example of what can happen if we get too wrapped up in ourselves to listen to others. But I bet even she wouldn't think of trying to be her own plumber or her own doctor. She'd rather pay the money to get somepony who knows what they're doing to do the job for her."
With the dispute settled, construction of Sweet Feather Sanctuary finally got underway later that day. Not much work was ultimately done before it was time to stop, but Fluttershy wasn't worried. The next day was when the truly important ground work would commence.
Sure enough, the very next day Fluttershy had all her friends over at her cottage and ready to go to work, when suddenly there came a knock at the cottage door.
The door swung open but a moment later to reveal a somewhat short looking earth pony colt with a grayish-blue coat. He had a dull dark blue beard that matched his tail and greenish-gold eyes. He wore dusty blue overalls and a tall green hat atop his head. "Howdy, everypony," He greeted with a smile. "Sorry it took so long to get here. But when I heard somepony needed construction help for them critters... well... how could I say no?"
Twilight immediately recognized the stallion and rushed over to give him a hug. "Big Daddy McColt! Great to see you again, old timer. How are things in the Smokey Mountains?"
Big Daddy McColt laughed. "Never better now that the business with the Hooffields is taken care of. The place is lookin' better than ever if I do say so myself," Then he turned to Fluttershy. "Ah, these must be the rest of your friends you were talkin' about."
Fluttershy nodded. "They are, and they're all eager to help. You're just the pony I've been waiting for. There's nopony better at building who also knows his stuff when it comes to caring for animals."
The stallion then declared. "Well, shucks. Reckon we've done enough standin' around here, talkin' 'bout it. Let's build us a sanctuary, y'all!" And everyone in the room cheered in excited agreement!
With Big Daddy McColt's help, things progressed quickly over the next several days. Everyone had something they had to do to get the sanctuary completed: Whether that be driving boards into the ground, filling up the stream bed that had been dug out, placing windows on the outside of various structures or tying hammocks together between various trees.
At last, as the week drew to a close, Fluttershy and Big Daddy McColt could look out over the ground and smile with satisfaction at the magnificent place that had come into being. Sweet Feather Sanctuary was at last a reality.
"Thanks for everything, Big Daddy McColt," Fluttershy told the stallion afterward as he prepared to leave. "Are you sure you can't stick around for the grand opening?"
Big Daddy McColt shook his head and tipped his hat. "I reckon my work here is done. But I've gotta get back to my family in the mountains. But iffn' you ever need my services again, just gimme a shout and I'll drop whatever I'm doin' to come help."
Tiara (who was standing beside Fluttershy) commented in amazement. "Wow! He made everything look so easy, and so fun! His help was all you really needed all along, huh, Fluttershy?"
"Sort of," Fluttershy acknowledged. "Hard Hat and Wrangler did their parts to get me on track. If they hadn't pointed me in the right direction, I wouldn't have been able to pitch even half of those suggestions to Big Daddy McColt. But sometimes, we just have to believe in our dreams and be willing to do our part to make them come true."
Twilight then commented. "Sounds like a valuable lesson to have learned. Don't you think so, Diamond Tiara?"
The headgear wearing filly nodded. "I most certainly do," And she then turned to the alicorn. "Thanks for letting me hang out with your friends as part of my studies. It really means a lot that I have something to do with my time besides staying home or just hanging out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders when they're not busy helping others."
Twilight smiled, patting the filly on the forehead. "Happy to help, Diamond Tiara. And I have a feeling you'll be just as promising a student to me as Starlight Glimmer was."