Rainbow was standing just in front of the door of Fluttershy’s cottage as she thought back to what all of her friends had said yesterday and this morning.
Maybe they were right to tell her that this was the best for the Wonder Pugs. But why in the name of Princess Celestia did she try to keep avoiding the obvious answer over and over again? It wasn’t like she didn’t trust Fluttershy. She didn’t want to have her bite more than she could chew. That was what Twilight told her about when the yellow Pegasus offered to watch the Cutie Mark Crusaders at her house, right?
Still, there were no alternatives left. It was time to face the music and dance.
Rainbow looked at Tank. Then, she looked at the Wonder Pugs, who were standing right behind her. She took a deep breath and, after much hesitation, she knocked on the door.
“Coming!” called a somewhat-quiet and cheerful voice from inside.
Fluttershy opened the door and looked at her fillyhood friend and the tortoise. “Oh. Hello, Rainbow Dash,” she said, in her characteristically gentle manner. “And hello to you too, Tank. I was just leaving to get some food for my animal friends. I didn’t expect to see you here so early today.”
“Fluttershy,” began Rainbow, slowly, “I need your help on something…”
“Oh my,” exclaimed Fluttershy, a worried look on her face. “Is Tank’s throat sore again?”
“It’s not Tank, actually,” explained Rainbow. “It’s…”
Just then, she was interrupted by a faint yawn at her rear. She looked back and instantly discovered that the noise came from Soarin’, who was about to lie down and doze in the sun.
Fluttershy gave out a big gasp and rushed past Rainbow with such haste to meet the Wonder Pugs. “Are those puppies… pugs?” she asked, excitedly.
“Bingo,” answered Rainbow, sarcastically. “You’ve just won free tickets to the Wonderbolts Derby.”
“Oh! I’ve always wanted to meet dogs like them! They’re so sweet… so cuddly… so fuzzy!”
The last time Rainbow saw Fluttershy like this, it was when the former had said she wanted a pet. And that led to her owning Tank.
“Aw,” lavished Fluttershy, as the Wonder Pugs kissed her all over. “You’re the cutest little puppies ever.” Just then, her expression turned to one of shock and concern. Rainbow could tell that she looking at the puppies’ name tags. “Oh my goodness! You don’t have licenses! Rainbow,” she said, turning to the blue Pegasus, “we have to find their owners and tell them to…”
“Fluttershy,” cut in Rainbow, “the Wonder Pugs don’t have an owner. That’s why I came to you in the first place.” After explaining everything, she concluded with the most difficult question she had been meaning to ask Fluttershy since the last afternoon: “Can you please take care of them?”
There. She said it. Yes, it was harder to even speak those words out, but she had managed. In fact, she never thought she could say it so convincingly.
Now here came the hardest part of all. She shut her eyes and looked away, bracing herself for the inevitable, cold, and assertive answer Fluttershy would give.
“Of course I will, Rainbow.”
Rainbow opened her eyes and looked at Fluttershy in total disbelief. “Fluttershy… did you just say…?”
“Yes,” replied Fluttershy. “I’ve never had to keep tiny dogs in my cottage before. But I’ve been preparing for this sort of thing.” She turned to the Wonder Pugs and cooed, “Come on, little ones. In you go. This is your new home.”
The puppies barked, jumped for joy, and ran into the house. On the way, Fluttershy opened the back door, which led to the backyard with a picket fence, allowing her new pug friends to play outside without causing a mess. It was a good thing, Rainbow noticed, that the gate to the chicken coop was closed. It wouldn’t be good to repeat what happened at Sweet Happy Acres.
But then, Rainbow saw that the fence had no door. There was just a three-yard wide space, where a dirt road had crossed. The path where it stood the backyard also stretched out into the meadow. And the meadow stretched out into… the Everfree Forest.
She gulped real big, but tried not to let it show. “Fluttershy,” she inquired, anxiously, “are you sure you wanna keep the puppies here? That path leads all the way to…”
“I know,” acknowledged Fluttershy. “Don’t you worry, Dash. They won’t get far. I’ll keep a very close eye on them.” Then, she winked.
Rainbow mopped her brow. “Phew,” she said. “You had me worried there for a sec.”
Suddenly, she heard the Wonder Pugs yip frantically and saw them running right past her and Fluttershy as they entered back in the cottage, nearly knocking over Angel Bunny in the process. Angel, who was unhurt, looked a bit dazed and surprised as much as both Pegasi were. Tank was lucky to jump out of the way with his helicopter hat.
All looked around to see that the frightened little pug puppies were shaking under the coach.
“What’s wrong?” asked Fluttershy, almost at a loss for words. “I didn’t see any bears, wolves, or any other dangerous animals coming.”
Meow.
Rainbow turned to her left and saw the little white kitten with the blue bow walking straight towards them. Then, she returned her eyes to the whimpering Wonder Pugs.
The answer became clear to her. These pugs had never seen cats before… until quite recently. “They had a little trouble with Opal yesterday,” she said to Fluttershy, reluctantly remembering. “She nearly scratched them.”
“Oh, you poor puppies,” soothed Fluttershy, leveling her head on the floor to get a better view of the tiny, curly-tailed creatures. “It’s okay. This little kitty’s not going to hurt you.”
The puppies, now more unsure than frightened, didn’t budge, except by tilting their heads.
Fluttershy smiled warmly. “You can trust me.”
Then, almost as if by magic, the puppies went back into their excited selves, ran out of the underside of the couch, and resumed their playtime in the backyard.
“I guess you’re the best choice after all, Fluttershy,” said Rainbow, looking somewhat ashamed for all the previous mishaps. “I should’ve come to you sooner.”
“Oh, don’t be so upset,” beamed Fluttershy. “I’m just glad you managed to keep the puppies safe. And you too, Tank,” she rapidly added, noticing the tortoise right next to her.
The yellow Pegasus wasn’t wrong there. Rainbow and Tank had been able to look out for the Wonder Pugs, even while failing in selecting the perfect home yesterday. They made a pretty good team, no mistake about that. Now that the little puppies were living at Fluttershy’s, nothing could possibly go wrong.
Suddenly, Rainbow’s heart sank. She was happy to find the Wonder Pugs a home, but now… now she was going to miss them. They were almost like their children or something… She didn’t know what to think of them as in a positive way.
She looked down on the floor, her heart starting to feel somewhat uneasy. Water formed in her eyes. A tiny stream slowly flowed across each cheek.
“Fluttershy,” she spoke softly, barely able to choke back a few sobs. “You’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to a sister. I know you’ll take good care of the Wonder Pugs. You’ve got everything you need for them. Just… let me say goodbye to them… before I go… Okay?”
The cyan Pegasus failed to anticipate Fluttershy’s reaction to this request. One moment, she started at her. The next, she giggled lightly.
“Rainbow Dash, just because you’re going to leave the Wonder Pugs doesn’t mean you’ll never see them again. You can come by to visit anytime you like… when you’re free. I just know they’ll be thinking about you every day.”
Rainbow’s tears were flowing a little faster than before. Her mouth quivered. Then, she gave a small smile.
With much speed, she pulled Fluttershy into a warm, tight embrace. “Oh, thank you so much, Fluttershy!” she sobbed. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you… Thank you!”
From behind her, Rainbow heard Fluttershy’s meek voice. “Um… Rainbow Dash… not too hard… please.”
Immediately, the two ponies broke from each other.
“Oops,” laughed Rainbow, sheepishly. “Sorry.”
Just then, she put a hoof to her mouth and whistled out. The Wonder Pugs answered immediately to her call as they ran toward her, yipping and jumping before filing themselves in a column of four.
Proud to see the puppies this way, Rainbow stood up and said, “Wonder Pugs, I want you to know how happy I am to have found you a good home. I trust Fluttershy here with my life. She’s very good at handling animals like you.” Then, she turned to her previously emotional side, but without the tears. “Spitfire… Fleetfoot… Rapidfire… Soarin’… I’m gonna miss every one of you.” This made the Wonder Pugs cry for a few seconds before Rainbow continued, “But don’t worry. Tank and I’ll be visiting you with every chance we get! Right, Tank?”
The tortoise smiled and gave a slow nod.
Instantly, the Wonder Pugs barked with a sense of restored morale and, like a whole army, launched themselves at Rainbow, causing her to fall on her back. As of yesterday, they were hogging her with kisses.
“Alright, alright!” she laughed. “Take it easy! We’ve only met for a day!”
Just then, Rainbow heard Fluttershy chuckle at her predicament. She couldn’t blame the yellow Pegasus for not trying to stop herself from doing so.
It didn’t take long before the Wonder Pugs turned their playful attention to Angel, giving him such a running exercise he would never forget. At least these puppies were harmless, but it would take some time for him to accept that. And both ponies knew that for sure.