Episode 12: Bird is the Word
I knocked on the door, and waited. No answer yet, but what I did get immediately after was two chaos portals opening on both sides of me, before a jelly fish (not the animal jelly fish, a fish made of jelly!) leapt out of one portal, over my head, and down the other.
I was about to knock again, but thankfully, Fluttershy finally answered the door.
"Oh... hello, Leo!"
"Hey, Fluttershy. Just thought I'd stop by for something."
"I'd like to hear it. Would you like to come in, first?"
"Eh..." I shrug. "I don't see why not."
I entered Fluttershy's cottage and shut the door for her. Now, to all of you who want to know what the inside of Fluttershy's cottage is like 20 years later, lemme tell you... it's pretty much like the outside. Most of the overall structure and contents from 20 years ago hasn't changed one bit, but it was very clear Discord's influence was all around the area. Some furniture either had reverse-gravity, and some stuff had no gravity at all. Some of the animals were also more... chaotic... but I could pick out a few original ones as well. I took my seat on one of the normal couches, checking to ensure I didn't sit on anything alive first.
"So, what brings you here?..." asked Fluttershy.
"Well... I was wondering if I could maybe, um... take one of your animals back to my place?... As a pet?"
Alright, now hear me out... the reason why I'm visiting Fluttershy for a pet is simple... there's no place to get one in Ponyville. I'm not sure if there was ever a place for that, or if those places closed (yes, Dr. Fauna's place was related to... y'know... pets, but her animal hospital doesn't give pets for adoption). But apparently, Fluttershy's a good pony to talk to for a pet from what I've heard at school, and since I didn't have much options, I decided to try it (in spite of the feeling I was taking advantage, which isn't true). After all, she has a sanctuary, and I heard that became a good place to snag a pet.
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Fluttershy exclaimed in her calm, soft voice. "What pet would you like?"
"Hmmm... you have cats and dogs, right?"
"Um... I'm sorry, but... we don't have any cats or dogs here, or at the sanctuary... not at the moment, at least..."
"Okay, then."
I went into thinking mode, and immediately after, I got an idea.
"Well... you've gotta have birds, right?" I ask.
"Oh, I have lots of birds! Parakeets... canaries... conures..."
"Conures, eh?... Hm... I'd like to know your options... I may be close to a decision."
...
Intro
...
"I'm back!" I shouted mere moments before I joined my pals in the library. But I wasn't alone...
"How did the pet hunting go?" Cozy Glow put down her book. "I don't... see any pets."
"Oh, I got one all right. He's just hiding."
"Hiding?" Chrysalis and Tirek put down their card game and approached me.
"Easy now... don't want to spook him..." I warned.
Suddenly, from what I could tell, a little grey and green head with a large black beak and beady eyes poked his head out from behind my hair.
"A bird?" Chrysalis blinked (though not in a negative way). "You got a bird?"
"He's cute," said Cozy.
"Thanks. Fluttershy didn't have any of the basic pets, so I got the next best thing. I had two birds back home, so why not?"
"What's his name?" Tirek asked.
"Ollie," I reply. "There's something special about him too... he's missing one of the claws on his talons, so he's only got seven toes! Makes him a little unique."
Ollie made a noise.
"How did you get him home so easily?" Chrysalis inquired.
"Well, thanks to Fluttershy's ability to speak to animals like him, she convinced him to stick with me until we got back, and to try to not be so timid around us. She also made him give consent to hold on to him if I was near any place that may spook him. Luckily, we got home safe and sound."
Ollie nibbled on my hair.
"But... we don't have anything to put him in!" Tirek realized. "He's got nowhere to go."
"Fluttershy offered to hook me up on that. She's going to have Discord bring some stuff later."
"Great... let's see how that plays out..." Cozy's eyes roll.
"Give him a rest, he's not all bad. Sure he... nearly ended Equestria a couple times, but last time we met, he did something right. Kinda."
"That's the minority," replied Chrysalis. "But anyways, until that cage gets here you better keep an eye at him at all times. All of us. We don't want to spook him."
"No worries, Chrysalis. We'll keep that in mind."
*Time passes...*
The group tries doing whatever they can to bond with the bird. They let it run around on the table, they tried to give it attention... though it was much less timid then it should have been, since Fluttershy successfully convinced the bird to not be too scared around them. A time or two, the bird did end up getting spooked, but likely it wouldn't go far. One of the things they did later on was share their food with him as they ate. Considering the circumstances, Leo had to let Ollie nibble on his own food.
"Just don't feed him chocolate or sugar, or anything," Leo warns.
"I know," Cozy Glow replied. Ollie took another bite out of the bread on Leo's sandwich. "Wow, he really likes your food."
"Yeah, my old birds were like that. They'd go nuts for cheese and crackers. Though they can get a little defensive sometimes. I used to say, 'Hey, this is my food!' We'd say other things to at other times, like 'There has to be another way,' or we'd just give them nicknames."
Tirek chuckled. "Bird owners are strange."
"And you're one of them now," Chrysalis smirks. "Besides, I know how you feel about birds."
Tirek crossed his arms. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You know dearly well what I mean. You catching that bird combined with your reformation gave you an interest that's been hidden for quite a while."
The centaur made a motion with his hands. "Psssshh."
"Cozy, hand him the bird," Chrysalis ordered.
Cozy raised Ollie with her magic and placed him in Tirek's open hands. The bird seemed understandably shaky, but when it was placed on Tirek's hands, it didn't run.
"That's one heck of a sight," Leo said. "Anyways, I better get going. I got work."
"Really? Already?" Cozy's eyebrow raised.
"Please keep an eye on Ollie and keep him safe, okay? I mean it! I'll be really mad if he's gone!!!"
"But he's afraid of us!" exclaimed Cozy.
"Don't worry, Leo, you have our word!" Chrysalis promised. "We'll keep your bird safe and sound."
"Promise?"
"Promise..." Tirek nods.
"I'm trusting you... You lose him, you regret it. See you!"
And then Leo left the map room. All alone, the trio looked at Ollie, who scratched his head in Tirek's hand. It was cute.
"So what do we do?" Chrysalis asked.
"Could I take him up to my room for a bit?" asked Cozy Glow.
"Sure, but just remember to keep him safe, okay?" Tirek held out the bird.
"You got it!"
Cozy approached Tirek, and he held out his hands. After a bit of soft beckoning, the bird hopped onto Cozy's head, and she left.
"Thanks, Tirek! I'll keep him out of trouble!" Cozy proceeded to leave. "You can count on me!"
*Cozy Glow's Room*
"Well, Ollie, here we are..." Cozy went into her room, with Ollie still clutching onto her mane with his talons.
The filly went over to her bed and lowered her head, allowing Ollie to hop off.
"I remember Leo telling us that you tend to play with, or explore random things... I should see what I have."
Cozy went around the room to find the perfect plaything for the bird, and it didn't take long for her to find it. On her new dresser was a small bag, which contained some miscellaneous stuff she tended to bring to school. She flew up to her dresser, and grabbed the bag.
However, Cozy Glow ended up making one of her greater mistakes. She ended up grabbing just the handle of the bag, and when she dragged it off the dresser, the bottom gave out, and the contents of the bag gave out. It wouldn't of been so bad if one of the contents wasn't a really big book. And when the book landed on the floor, Ollie went crazy, and he began to fly all around the room. Cozy tried to catch him, but then the bird zoomed out an open window, and into the sky.
"GAH! NO!!!" Cozy Glow shrieked.
There wasn't anything she could do... Ollie was too fast, and when she got to the window, he was already out of reach.
"Uh-oh..."
...
...
Cozy Glow tried to return to Chrysalis and Tirek as quickly as possible. Luckily, they were just about to leave the map room right as Cozy was about to enter.
"We... have... a problem..." the filly wheezed.
"What's wrong?" asked Chrysalis.
"I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to! I accidentally scared the bird, and he flew out the window!"
"Mother of Father..." Tirek groaned, with a facepalm immediately after.
"We've got to go look for it!" Chrysalis exclaimed.
"How?" Cozy replied. "There's no way we're gonna get him back! I just told you he flew out the window!"
"But what if he returned to where he originally came from?... It could be Fluttershy's house, or it could even be her sanctuary... doesn't she have one?"
"Yeah, but... ugh! You're right. We might as well try and not immediately throw in the towel."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Tirek stood up. "Let's go get that bird!"
Fluttershy's house...
In a rush, the trio tried to get to Fluttershy's house as quickly as possible. However, when Cozy Glow knocked on the door, she got no answer. When Chrysalis tried jiggling the doorknob, it didn't budge.
"She must be gone," Tirek realized. "Discord to, probably."
"Well, we might as well head off to the sanctuary." Chrysalis turned.
"Wait!" Cozy stopped them. "Listen... I can hear birds in there."
Tirek and Chrysalis both listened. Cozy was right... there were birds in there.
"You know..." Tirek started. "We could... you know... try to get in there, anyway."
"You can't be serious..." said Chrysalis. "That would be breaking and entering in a mare's cottage!"
"But we're not stealing anything, and it's for a good cause! You could use your changeling powers to-"
"I agree with Chrysalis," Cozy interrupted. "It's probably a bad idea to break into her locked cottage. Sure, she's kind and all, but... what if we risk losing her trust, you know what I mean?"
"Fine. We'll check the sanctuary... we know where that is, right?"
"Hm..." Cozy pondered. "I think she took us there once for a field trip when I first when to the School of Friendship. I don't think it's too far, but it may or may not take a bit to get there."
"Better then breaking into a mare's cottage..." Chrysalis jokingly glared with a grin.
"It was only an idea!" Tirek rebutted.
*Sanctuary...*
"Wow, this place is really nice..." Cozy Glow admired.
"It's also really nice that we're given easy access..." Chrysalis said.
"Already, let's fan out and find that bird," said Tirek. "Remember... he only has seven toes. That's a clue."
Cozy and Chrysalis nodded, and began to search. Avoiding any other animals, they checked the trees, behind rocks, under and occasionally around other animals too. The other animals simply watched out of curiosity.
Chrysalis eventually found a whole group of birds, each and every one of them looking at her. She eyeballed each and every one of the little creatures, but none of them were Ollie's kind, so she had to keep looking.
Cozy Glow flew up above some of the trees, and scanned the area. She also saw some birds, but once again, none of them were a match. She also didn't feel right grabbing any birds to check out their talons.
After a while, they all had to give up and regroup.
"Ugh, we'll never find him..." Cozy groaned. "It's over!"
"Maybe Fluttershy can help when she gets back," suggested Tirek.
"We'll see. Let's check if she's home, first," Chrysalis said.
"You're suggesting we go back there?" replied Cozy.
"What have we got to lose?"
"Alright, fine... but judging from today's luck, she may still be gone."
*Fluttershy's cottage...*
"Told ya!" Cozy said the moment it became obvious that the cottage was still empty.
"Well, that was a huge waste of time..." Chrysalis mumbled.
"At least we got exercise, though," Tirek pointed out.
"That's the least of our worries. We still haven't found the bird!"
"Should we just... head back?" Cozy asked. "Break the news to him, and... deal with the consequences?..."
"It may have to be that way, I'm afraid..." Tirek nods. "We can't always get lucky. That's just life."
"Yeah... I know..."
...
...
"It's a shame we lost the bird," said Chrysalis. At the moment, they were all exhausted, and were making their way upstairs. "I liked him."
"Imagine how Leo's going to feel..." Cozy muttered. "I don't think I've ever been this anxious for how somepony's going to feel about something."
"Well, here's the plan... the moment we meet up with him again, we'll tell him," Tirek instructed.
When they entered the map room, they paused. Leo was on the table reading a comic book.
"Oh, hey guys!" he waved. "Where have you been?"
"Oh, well... um... w-we've just been out in town, is all!" Tirek stuttered.
"Smart move," Cozy sarcastically hissed.
"Oh... well... I take it you left before Discord brought Ollie's cage?" Leo asked. "It would be bad if you left him all out in the open, you know."
"Well... you see... we did leave because..." Chrysalis gulped. "We lost the bird."
Leo put down the comic book, and they got an icy glare.
"You... lost him?"
The former villains nodded.
"Well, I'd be furious..." the Alicorn started. "But I'm not as mad. Know why? Because Ollie's in his cage right now."
"HUH!!?!?!"
*squark*
That's when, for the first time, the trio noticed the cage nearby. Even though Discord brought it, it looked like a basic bird cage... aside from some wacky toys. And what was in the center of the cage was none other than Ollie. Cozy Glow ran over to examine the bird. Without taking him out, she scanned the creature as best as she could. And immediately afterwards, she found what she was looking for... a missing toe!
"That's him, alright..." she mumbled.
"But... how?!" Chrysalis exclaimed.
"I'll tell you how..."
Leo got off his seat.
"...I told Discord to keep a close eye on you guys in case you lost the bird. The moment he was gone, Discord managed to get his paw and talon on him, and bring him back."
"So... you didn't trust us?" Cozy inquired.
"You're right. I didn't. I mean, look at this place. It's a massive castle, with open windows, and none of you have had experience with birds before."
Leo wasn't angry... his voice was calm, and collective... but that didn't stop the trio from getting defensive.
"Then why did you get a bird, if you didn't think it would be safe?" Tirek argued..
"I wouldn't have considered it as much if it weren't for Discord."
"That's kind of a jerk-ish move, if you ask me," said Cozy Glow.
"But you all like the bird, don't you?"
"Yeah, but-"
Leo interrupted Chrysalis. "So if you liked him, isn't it a good move that I told Discord to watch you guys?"
The trio said nothing. Then Chrysalis and Tirek faced Cozy.
"You're with him too much..." Tirek said.
"Hey, I haven't done that stuff in months! Don't look at me!"
"Okay, listen Leo..." Chrysalis started. "...There could have been a better way for you to handle this. You could have told us Discord would be watching us. You could have waited to get the bird. Or... you could have trusted us, even if we'd make that mistake. Even if not trusting us has a good outcome in the end, trusting a friend is more or less the better thing to do."
"Wow, Chrysalis. That's not a bad moral," Cozy admired.
"Thank you. Something that just popped up in my head."
"Okay, okay...look, let's just be happy about the fact that Ollie is safe and sound, alright?" Leo piped. "You've done stuff, and I've done stuff. We'll keep our windows closed, and a minimum of two of us can watch over him when he's out."
"You're going to go all-out with watching the bird, aren't you?..." Tirek crossed his arms.
"Can you really blame me?"
The trio exchanged looks. Chrysalis sighed, and then smiled.
"...I suppose not."
"Besides, this is a very cute bird..." Cozy looked into the bird's eyes. "Welcome to the family, Ollie!"
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You brought this on yourself
10989622
Jokes on you, I like that joke (even have the CD)
That was a nice addition.
This also reminds me of how Spike gotten Peewee there. Really hated how the writers got rid of it off-screen(with such a dumb reason/logic too)..
10989650
The mini-phoenix? What was the reasoning?
10989657
The writers had Spike say "Phoenixes arent meant to be pets" even though Celestia literally has a pet phoenix.
Which really screws up logic That and it looked like Twilight forced him to let Peewee go or something.
Despite that Peewee would have most likely imprinted onto Spike there.
10990233
Could be faulty writing, or an example of Celestia getting special treatment. Can go either way.
10990238
Faulty writing.
The fact someone at all has a pet phoenix(regardless of royalty or not) shows they can be pets.
Whats worse is why the writers done this is due to they forgot about Peewee actually. But instead of trying to bring him back, they pulled this illogical crap instead and Spike got screwed due to that.
10990436
Ah. Alright.
Great episode today Leo!!
I enjoyed the story all the way and Ollie is an interesting addition to the cast 
By the way, What kind of bird is he? 
Hey Leo, I can design Ollie for you if you want in Adobe Illustrator
To have people get the idea of what he looks like 
10990660
Green cheek conure.
What’s a Conrune?? Never heard of it
10991029
Look it up. It’s sort of aligned with parrot-birds.
Ollie’s a Green-cheeked conure
10991036
I see ok