Gabriele walked up to the entrance of Sweet Feathers Sanctuary, the supposed "animal sanctuary" belonging to the yellow pegasus named Fluttershy. Gabriele had never been to an animal sanctuary before, mostly because he never cared and never had the time for one. The eldest Silano son also didn't know what to expect from this Fluttershy pony, as all he knows about her is that she's obsessed with animals, and as her name suggests, she's probably shy. He remembered seeing her on the television back when Equestria made its official partnership with Earth, a small yellow winged horse with long pink hair. Gabriele has seen girls with her kind of hair before, and they were usually pretty shy, using their hair to hide their faces. But considering what he saw on TV that day with her talking confidently in front of a large crowd of humans, not to mention that she's a hero that helped saved Equestria countless times, she's probably not as shy as her name suggests, not anymore at least. He's also heard that Fluttershy hangs around some guy named Discord. Gabriele's never seen Discord before, but he's heard quite a bit about him, about how he's the "Spirit of Chaos" and is one of the most powerful beings in Equestria, apparently once been evil, and how he nearly caused the suffering and destruction of Equestria several times. How Fluttershy managed to be friends with a guy like that, and why anyone in their right mind would let someone like that run around freely was beyond Gabriele.
The young Italian-American man walked into the sancutary, and as he walked over a green grassy hill overlooking the place, he finally got a full view of it. It was a pretty big place, with many fancy things to make it as natural as possible. There was a large rocky slope with a waterfall flowing off it into a crystal blue pool and river, a hammock tied between two palm trees, and a tire swing hanging off a log on a rock edge. Around the place, there were even many tropical trees and plants that were clearly not native to Ponyville's ecosystem, and on some of the trees there were wooden platforms with many animals resting on them. Gabriele could see a multitude of different animals all over the place, from rabbits, ducks, flamingos, racoons, beavers, goats, deers, snakes (that Gabriele noticed were kissing), koalas and toucans atop the trees, and even a bear (which was sleeping in the hammock), an elephant, and a giraffe. All the animals were just living peacefully alongside each other without a care in the world. Gabriele wondered how none of them have started killing each other yet.
Gabriele felt relcutant to walk into the sanctuary. He'd never been someone who liked animals all that much, and now he was going to enter a place where he'd be completely surrounded by them, and unlike the zoo, there would be no railings or moats to keep the distance between them. The young man thought about how odd it was to be so uncomfortable and disliking of animals considering he's literally living in a world where he's constantly surrounded by talking horses, but after months of living in Equestria, he often forgot to think about the inhabitants he talked to as talking animals. He stopped paying attention to that fact by this point.
He looked around the sanctuary some more, and in the middle of it, he could see who he knew to be Fluttershy feeding a little white rabbit. Gabriele sighed, reminding himself that he has a job to do that his father asked him to do, and he would not disappoint him. The task was literally only to talk to the mare, befriend her, and maybe partner up and strike a deal with her if the opportunity presents itself, so it shouldn't be hard to do. But the problem was that Gabriele was not exactly known for being a friendly person, something he himself can admit to.
Gabriele was someone who mostly thought with brute strength rather than intellect, with his only smarts being street smarts, and with his line of work, he'd usually have to be angry and violent to do his job. He was never someone who really ever tried to, or ever needed and wanted to, be nice to anyone. But Gabriele wasn't exactly lonely, he was pretty close to his Dad's top henchman, Vincenzo De Luca, who he always sort of saw as a mentor and maybe even uncle figure in his life, which might explain why he wore a gold chain necklance same as him and almost always had his hands on his hips, something Vincenzo was always known to do. They almost always did jobs together, with him accompanying Vincenzo and help him with the jobs his father gave him or vice versa. He also hung around a lot of the people who worked under his father, but he was never really too close with any of them, and they all mostly respected and feared him because of his short temper and the fact he was the Don's son. He didn't really count Ainsley because he was his brother, so they were close by default.
But Gabriele didn't really care about barely having any actual friends in his life, because as far as he was concerned, his life was the best it could possibly be. His family ran a successful restaurant franchise, his father ran many businneses, they never had to worry about running out of or not having enough money, many people knew him, and he could do whatever he wanted because he knew nobody would be brave enough to cross him anyway. He didn't need friends. But if he was going to help his father's business, he'll have to learn how to actually be friendly with others, especially since these soft colorful ponies were all about "the magic of friendship", something he knew the Princess never shut up about.
The young human sighed before he walked down the hill and walked in Fluttershy's direction. As Gabriele walked through the sanctuary, he looked around nervously at all the animals surrounding him. This was probably the first time in his life he was surrounded by so many animals that weren't behind a cage. The only animals he'd ever interacted with were your standard cats and dogs, and occasionally farm animals, usually either for restaurant supplies or for doing some clean-up business (he may have helped feed some poor souls to the pigs). But now, he was surrounded by so many different kinds of them of all shapes and sizes that freely roamed wherever they wished. He felt even more defenseless now that he did not have any firearms on him. He put away his uzi as requested by his father because carrying a lethal weapon when meeting with a pony who's known to be shy and sensitive was not a good idea. The only weapon he had on him was his stiletto switchblade which he carried everywhere and never took out of his pockets, not like it would do anything against all the animals here in case they all ever tried to do anything to him.
Gabriele now stood right behind Fluttershy, who was too busy occupying herself with feeding the white rabbit in front of her that she didn't even hear the human approaching her.
"Ay, ya Fluttershy?" Gabriele asked, which caused Fluttershy to jump in surprise and make an 'eep!' sound.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't know you were there. You scared me," Fluttershy rubbed the back of her head as she turned around to properly face her visitor.
"Uh, sorry about that, I guess," Gabriele just raised an eyebrow as he spoke. "Anyway, i was askin, ya Fluttershy, right?"
"Oh yes, I am. Who are you?"
"The name's Gabriele," the human answered as he extended his hand for Fluttershy to shake, which she did.
"Nice to meet you, Gabriele. What brings you here? I've never seen you before. Are you with a TV crew or another animal conservation group from Earth? You don't seem like one."
"No, no, nothin' like that. I'm not involved with anythin' related ta TV or animals. Never really cared for either o' those things. I work at a restaurant in Ponyville, 'Giovanni's', maybe ya've seen it?"
"Oh yes, I think so. I've never eaten there, though, because I heard they serve meat there, and I just don't like the idea of eating other animals. I've been trying to maintain a more vegan diet for me and my animals, unless they need to eat meat," the yellow pegasus said, which only caused Gabriele to narrow his eyes at her. He and his family could never stand vegans.
"Well, we do have a vegetarian an' vegan menu. We made it when we came to Equestria an' knew ya ponies don't eat meat that much, an' also 'cause a buncha dickhead customers back home kept harrasin' us ta add one."
"Well that's nice to know," Fluttershy smiled. "Anyway...but what brings you here? Is there something I can do for you?"
"Do fa me? Oh no, nothin', not yet. Y'see, my father, Roberto Silano, he's been talkin' ta a lotta ya friends yesterday."
"Silano? Is he the one who almost choked at Sugarcube Corner? I heard about that. Oh, I hope he's alright."
"He's fine. He's a tough guy, don' worry about it. Anyway, my father has been talkin' ta some o' ya friends yesterday. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, an' Rarity, I think. He even partnered up their businesses with his."
"Well, that's nice. Good for them."
"Well, now my father sent me down 'ere ta talk ta you."
"To me? Why me?" Fluttershy asked, "I don't even really own a business."
"Is this sanctuary not a business?"
"Why, no. I opened it and built it myself. Well, I didn't build it, but I came up with the architecture and design and my friends helped me build it."
"But I mean, ya gotta have income comin' in. Otherwise, how are ya gonna keep this place renovated? Or keep buyin' food an' medical supplies fa the animals?" Gabriele asked.
"Oh, well I do most of those myself, and also with the help of Discord and Dr. Fauna, and my friends if they have the time."
Is the importance of money really that little ta these damn horses?! Gabriele thought.
Gabriele just continued with the reason he came in the first place. "Yeah, anyway, I didn' really come 'ere purely fa business."
"But?"
"My father's a respected businessman, he has a lotta friends from all places, an' ya guys are all heroes of Equestria an' Princess Twilight's closest friends, it'd be his highest honor ta get ta be friends with all o' ya. I mean, he's already befriended Pinks over at the bakery an' Rares over at that boutique, so might as well get ta know the rest o' ya. Though he couldn't really make it today, he's kinda busy with otha' things," Gabriele explained.
"So your dad told to meet me...just to make friends?"
"Uh...yeah, pretty much."
A smile formed on Fluttershy's face and she flapped her wings and flew up to Gabriele's eye level. "Well, I'd be more than happy to. Why don't I show you around?"
Gabriele just looked around hesitantly before giving Fluttershy an answer. "Sure, I guess." He was supposed to make friends after all.
"Wonderful," Fluttershy said happily. "Let me introduce you to all the critters around."
Fluttershy led Gabriele through the sanctuary and showed him all the animals in it. The first she introduced was the white rabbit she was feeding named Angel Bunny, though Gabriele could tell that the name did not match the character. Fluttershy then introduced all the other animals around them, which he was amazed that she could even remember who was who, and she showed him all the details of the sanctuary, though Gabriele already noticed everything she was showing him the moment he stepped into the place.
"So ya really jus' use up all ya resources ta put all these different animals in this place?" Gabriele asked once Fluttershy stopped showing him around and they stopped walking.
"Why, yes. Sweet Feathers Sanctuary is meant to provide a safe haven for animals of all kinds. We want to make sure every critter feels as safe and comfortable as they can be, and always take care of them whenever they are in need of help," Fluttershy explained.
"What's the frickin' point? They're jus' gonna die anyway," Gabriele said, which got a gasp out of Fluttershy and caused all the animals around, especially Angel Bunny, to glare at him. "Why're ya lookin' at me like that? I mean, c'mon, they're frickin' animals. Killin' an' dyin's part o' their life. Plus, their life expectancy is short anyway, within a few months they'll already be witherin' away with one foot in the grave."
"It is not about that! Every creature deserves to be helped and taken care of, because they should be treated with respect too!" Fluttershy said in a stern but calm voice.
"But what're ya doin' that fo'? What do the animals even do fa us that's worth savin' their lives an' pamperin' them like this so much? Like, seriously, what do they do? They eat, sleep, make more o' themselves, an' they die, that's it. But what do they contribute ta society? D'they pay our taxes? D'they help get rid o' prejudice an' discrimination in society? D'they help better our economy? Give ta the poor? Like, I don' get it. What's the point?" Gabriele argued.
"It's not about what they can give back to us! It's about showing respect and care to all living creatures!"
"'Respect'? C'mon, they don't even respect each otha'. Look, nature's all about survivability, right? The strong thrive, an' the weak get left behind ta sit on their asses an' rot. If ya don' 'ave what it takes ta keep on livin', well then too fuckin' bad. That's jus' how life is, y'know? Ya fail ta get through life properly. Boom! Ya dead! Ya cross a dangerous bigger meaner guy. Boom, ya dead! Ya can't do what ya need ta do ta survive. Boom, ya dead! Boom, dead! Boom, boom, boom! Dead, dead, dead! That's how it is. So what's the frickin' point?" he asked again.
Gabriele also didn't understand why a lot of these types of people waste so much money just to take care of sick and dying animals. If it were up to him, he'd just let nature run its course and let it do what it needs to do. It's not like nature was any of his business anyway. Or if the animals really in irreversible sickness or pain, he'd just put the damn thing out of its misery. It saves both money and time. Animals were all about life or death, so why would he try to disrupt that?
Now Fluttershy and all the animals around them glared even harder at Gabriele, and even the rabbit and the bear began crossing their arms at him. Gabriele didn't show it, but deep down, he was getting pretty nervous. Before this, while he was already nervous, he could count on Fluttershy to keep the animals in check, but judging by how unhappy she looked at the moment, there's a very small chance she might let loose her animals upon him.
Suddenly, something happened with Fluttershy that neither Gabriele or the animals expected. The upset look on Fluttershy's face slowly disappeared, instead being gradually replaced with a more sympathetic look, which confused both parties watching her.
"Oh dear, you must not know too much about animals," she said.
"I...what?"
"Do you have experience with animals at all?"
"Besides some dogs an' cats? Absolutely none."
"Well, Gabriele, how about you try helping me in the sanctuary?"
"Woah woah woah, wait. Me? Help you here? Why?" Gabriele asked, the animals around him looking just as shocked and dumbfounded as him.
"It's just that...the way you talk about animals was very negative. It seems you view them in a very bad light and one-sided way. Maybe something about your life taught you that that's how eveything, including animals work, when it's not!" Fluttershy explained, which caused a feeling of worry to strike through Gabriele, fearing that the pegasus was seeing through him too much. "But maybe if you tried working in the sanctuary, you can get to know animals much better, and see they aren't as bad and their lives aren't as worthless as you think."
"Eh, I don' know, Flutters. I kinda have otha' things ta take care of, an' I gotta help Pops with his errands, an--"
"Oh, don't worry! We don't have to do it everyday. Maybe you can just come over at least once a week, and you can help me around the sanctuary, and I can teach you all about how to work here and everything about the animals. I promise that you will not regret it!"
The animals then all started making noises of all kinds in complaint, not happy that she's even considering letting Gabriele, someone who clearly doesn't see any value in their lives, help around on the sanctuary. But Fluttershy calmed down their complaints and arguing and began to reassure them. "Now, now, everycreature. I know what Gabriele just said earlier was very mean and inconsiderate, but if we give him a chance, maybe it can help him to also give all of you a chance."
The animals began to chatter to one another over what Fluttershy said, most of them pretty reluctant, but eventually agreed despite still being wary and untrusting of Gabriele.
"That's good," Fluttershy said to them before turning back to Gabriele. "So, do you want to?"
Gabriele just looked around nervously so he wouldn't have to stare into Fluttershy's sparkling cyan eyes, just saying "uh" and "eh" while he tried to decide an answer. He was about to refuse the offer, but he then remembered that the whole point of what he was doing was to befriend the Council of Friendship members, and that by spending some time to help the sanctuary, he will have gained Fluttershy's trust and put her in their debt. Like his dad said, once an opportunity presents itself, you should take it.
"Yeah, sure, why not?" Gabriele answered with a smile, the first time he's smiled since finding the gem mines, though this one was less genuine.
"Oh, wonderful! Are you free today?"
"Oh no, no. This was all I came ta do 'ere, anyway. I wanna go back ta my dad, see how he's doin'. Maybe some otha' time."
"Of course, I understand."
Gabriele nodded silently. "Well then, I'm gonna get goin'," he said before he turned around to walk away, before suddenly stopping dead in his tracks and turning back to Fluttershy to say one more thing. "Oh, by the way, I also wanted ta let ya know, that if you're havin' any trouble with this Sanctuary, like anythin' at all, whether it's money or property damage, ya can alwas come ta me or my Dad, alright? We can get it fixed right away."
"Oh, I'm sure we can manage on our own. But thank you for the offer. I'll make sure to keep you in mind of we ever need you," Fluttershy said.
"Hope ya do, 'cause I assure ya, no company for those issues does things faster than ours. We 'ave more than enough money ta help ya out with anythin' that can happen 'ere. Plus, we'll be hangin' round town fa the next weeks, so ya'll be able ta find us easily. Even if ya can't, we 'ave many workers ya can talk ta an' the message will be delivered straight ta us, so don' worry 'bout a thing," he said. "Alright then, that's all fa today. See ya, Flutters," Gabriele waved goodbye and walked away.
"See you too!" Fluttershy waved back happily.
As Gabriele walked away from the sanctuary and had plenty of distance between himself and Fluttershy, the smile he put on himself disappeared and reverted back to his usual angry serious face.
Neva' understood these animal lovers.