1 - Smoke and Mirrors
The post holiday season was a stressful one for all sorts of folks, for all sorts of reasons. The joyful spirit in the air seemed to dissipate as signs of the holidays were taken down, one by one. Windows slowly began to lose their decorations, and storefronts began to lose their trees and wreaths. Routines gradually began to settle back into normality as folks went back to work.
Rarity was busy taking returns and adjusting measurements for all the garments which had been purchased by stallions for their mares in the hopes of getting some action, without bothering to get the sizes right. Pinkie had been busy baking holiday cookies and treats, and would smell like gingerbread for the next few weeks, or longer if she continued using the cookie scented shampoo that she used, of which nopony was quite sure where she actually got it from. Twilight was in Canterlot on an assignment, and Rainbow Dash had been invited to Applejack's for the holiday, the rainbow mare having not been able to spend Hearth's Warming with her family for one reason or another.
Fluttershy in particular had a busy season, as the pre-Hearth's Warming days always carried new families into her home looking for animals to adopt. Those that were not sick or dangerous were gladly given to new and caring homes, and she had spent the last few weeks signing away dogs, cats and birds to new homes. She of course would perform occasional check ins following the rehousing, to make sure they were taken care of.
Now that it was January, the parties were over and the fillies and colts were back in school, the motherly pegasus was going to the different kennels and shelters around town, seeking out any particularly weathered or abandoned looking animals that she felt needed to be taken back to her home and cared for properly. Not just any animal would do, and though it was hard to explain, she knew when she saw them. It was an instinct, really. She didn't like the concept of animal shelters, but understood that most of them eventually found their ways to good homes.
It was early evening, and Fluttershy had spent most of her day running errands and visiting various animal rehousing facilities. There weren't that many in Ponyville, but she'd also divided her time between here and Donkey Xote, a primarily mule run town just a few miles down the road from Ponyville. Having visited two shelters already today and assured herself that accommodations were in order and the animals were taken care of, Fluttershy was just about to make her way home. Dark clouds were gathering in the distance, and she wanted to make sure her windows were closed and locked before any possible storm could hit. Her attention was drawn to a small pink dog huddled in the farthest cage by the door.
Looking left, then right, and seeing no attendants to speak to, the pegasus frowned. The poor dog looked absolutely terrified, and Fluttershy could not in her right mind leave the animal here like this. She didn't want to just... you know, take it, without asking, because that would be wrong. But an animal appeared to be suffering! Think, Fluttershy, think! Okay, she couldn't just take this animal, because that would be wrong, but maybe if the cage was accidentally left open... yes, that could work.
Squeaking quietly, she reached over and unlatched the cage, leaving it just slightly cracked open. The dog looked up from it cowering position, and appeared thankful. Fluttershy winked, nodded, and began to edge towards the door to the building. She was alerted by the creak of a swinging door behind her, and turned to see the pink dog following along behind. Fluttershy blinked.
"You're gonna follow me home, aren't you?" Fluttershy asked, though didn't sounded entirely upset by this. Almost relieved, if anything. There was nothing she hated more than seeing an animal in less than ideal conditions, and although she'd never seen this dog before, she couldn't stand the thought of it just being miserable in a cage, here, alone.
"Uh-huh!" The dog yipped. Truth be told, he couldn't remember exactly how he'd gotten here, but was determined to stay safe and out of trouble until memory returned. Fluttershy didn't register this as sentient speech, but recognized the behavioral patterns, and nodded in understanding. "Alright, well... we have to move quickly, before someone sees," she said. "Come on."
The dog hurried with her as she left the building, both of them making rapid time through the fading light and increasing darkness as they hurried through the snowy center of town. Thunder boomed in the distance, making them both yelp and move all the faster. Fifteen minutes later, Fluttershy flung open the door to her cottage, and both of them burst through into the safety of its entryway, drenched with freezing rain. Fluttershy fetched a towel to dry the canine, who allowed this passively, and her eyes fell upon its collar. COURAGE was imprinted upon its metal, and this only caused the pegasi's heart to sink further.
"You must be lost," she said quietly. "Someone's probably looking for you, and we-" Thunder boomed again. "-can't do anything about that now... go rest by the fire, and I'll make some posters to put up so we can find your family first thing tomorrow." She resented herself for taking the pup from the shelter, but would have resented herself more had she left him there. As Courage took his place in front of the fire, and Fluttershy went to get papers and markers and prepared to work late into the night, none of them paid any attention to the storm outside.
As such, neither of them saw the heavy purple fog rolling in beneath the pouring rain, an ominous mist that seeped through the town as the last of the sun's glimmer disappeared beneath the horizon, and left them absolutely no indication that things were about to get very strange indeed.
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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instant love. drawn in!
i follow
This is going to be interesting.
Oddly enough, I can't stand the show "Courage the Cowardly Dog", but I've yet to not love his appearance in crossovers. Is that strange?
Hmmm, interesting. I'll watch this.
"Sound."
Sorry to put an entire paragraph here, but you have two characters worth of dialogue in this one paragraph.
I never really watched Courage the Cowardly Dog, but I did like the few episodes I did see. I am interested in seeing where you take this, and will like and favorite to find out.
~KBO.
When you said you had a story in the works featuring a nostalgic crossover in your blog, I had absolutely no idea what to expect.
I am most pleasantly surprised!
This is a good crossover i had been a fan of Courage the Cowardly Dog shows this will have a chance of being funny.
5484417 You love Courage as a character, but the show itself gave you some sort of childhood trauma perhaps? It did that to me...
5484540 I always get warm fuzzies when someone says they actually read the blog :D
5484552
No trauma (I didn't see it until I was much older). I just couldn't stand it.
And actually, I find Courage gets to shine as a character in crossovers far more than he did in the show.
5484566
Just because I don't always comment on blogs doesn't mean I'm not unhealthily obsessed with checking my feed...
Awesome!
5484417 I know afew series/franchises that I have the same strangeness factor in the fact I can't stand them or at the very least indifferent to them yet like the appearance of them in fanfiction most of the time crossovers at that. So to me the fact you have a similar case isn't strange to me.
good one XD
A crossover between Courage the Cowardly Dog and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?! Added to my read later list. I love Courage!
"Donkey Xote"
"Don Quixote"
That's rather clever of you.
5486318 i have occasionally been known for cleverness
This looks promising.
I honestly love you for making a courage crossover seriously this is the best.