• One year before Twilight moved to Ponyville.

"Hee hee! Stop that! That tickles." Fluttershy softly giggled as a brown puppy licked her face.

The yellow pegasus sighed happily, as she put the pup back in the pen with the others. She glanced at her surroundings. Everywhere she turned there were domestic animals. Everything from cats, dogs, turtles, to spiders, bears, and even alligators. Ponies had domesticated all non magical animals thousands of years ago. Ponies took care of them and raised even the more "dangerous" of these critters.

Fluttershy moved to pet a lion cub as she took in her new home. She was just outside the little cabin, with the yard filled with pens separating the various animals by habitat. There was a short bridge over a stream and bird houses everywhere.

As she pet the kitty, she reflected on how college had flown by pretty quickly and was done with. By Celestia, was college terrifying! Though it was not as scary as graduation. She did not recall which was more frightening: Seeing so many ponies watching her, the thought of shaking the headmistress's hoof upon obtaining the diploma, or the fact that she did not know what to do after graduation! Of course, the latter choice doesn't seem so scary now.

Fluttershy trotted to the counter near the entrance and took a seat. She glanced at the neon animal shelter sign that was shown glowing at the entrance. She was fortunate that during her graduation party, some official looking ponies came to her with an offer.

The government had been aware of her uncanny ability to negotiate with animals, referring to a moment when a Roc flew over cloudsdale and sent the whole city into a frenzy. While everypony else was running and screaming Fluttershy calmly walked over to it, and managed to calm the beast. Convincing it to leave without eating anypony.

Lots of places offered her jobs because of that... but they were mostly (shudders) monster hunting organizations. She most certainly didn't want to hurt innocent critters or magical beast. Thankfully she lucked out, as the matron of Ponyville's animal shelter was retiring, and hoping Fluttershy would take her place.

Animal shelters were funded by the government, so although it wouldn't be the best paying job, she would be given great benefits. In her case she would even be given a place to live.

Fluttershy smiled as she looked around the property, before finally stepping into the building. The little Cottage clearly used enchantments to be bigger on the inside. It was one of the more common spells to put on houses. Extension charms like these made it so houses could contain more rooms for less space. This cottage had dozens of rooms inside to house critters, including a condo to live in upstairs.

However this entrance was a little... sterile. It felt far too clinical and not very welcoming at all. She could move in some couches and a feeding area for the critters, and of course get rid of that counter and uninviting white paint and tile. Yes, she would have to completely remodel this room. Luckily, this job came with a good few bits to spend on renovations.

The entrance door was suddenly burst open, along with Fluttershy's train of thought, as somepony bolted through it. The pegasus eeped as she dove underneath the counter with a scared look on her face. Fluttershy whimpered a bit until a single minute passed by. She blinked upon noticing that nothing critical has happened yet, so she slowly looked up from the counter.

There she saw a large white pegasus with large muscles and a giant body frame. As Fluttershy stared at the pegasus, he also stared at her with an equally confused look plastered on his face. Fluttershy gulped as she let out a weak smile. ""Um, hello. Uh, are you here to adopt?"

"YEEEEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!"

Fluttershy shrieked as she suddenly fell to the ground with a surprised look on her face. She found herself getting up and brushing the dust from her coat. "Oh, that's, um, quite the voice."

"Sorry." The white pegasus quickly responded. His voice was still a bit loud, but it sounded strangely meek, "I'm just excited to get a familiar,"

"Oh, that's okay." Fluttershy responded, a bit surprised at his tone shift. "I'm Fluttershy."

"Uh, Bulk Biceps."

Fluttershy coughed a bit before continuing. "So are you sure you want a familiar and not a pet?" She asked.

"What's the difference?" Bulk blinked, tilting his head.

"Familiars are a lot more responsibility. They are tied to your magic and that makes them completely dependent on you. I suggest you try to get to know the critter as a pet first before magically bonding with them."

"Well... I need a familiar for school. I'm starting at a magic university in Canterlot and they said I need a familiar to learn wand based spell casting,"

That... was rather impressive. Wands were expensive, and qualifying for a wand based university was both expensive, and difficult. They had just as high standards as Celestia's school for Gifted unicorns.

Fluttershy nodded, "There are some advantages to it from a magical perspective. You'll take on the traits of the critter you bind yourself to, and be able to use more complex spells in correlation with them. Your critter will even stop aging and live as long as yourself, but that comes at the cost of not being able to survive without you. It's not something to undertake lightly."

Thankfully Bulk looked thoughtful as he considered everything she said, "School won't begin for another three months. So I can get to know the critter first, and see if it wants to be bound to me like that."

Fluttershy smiled at his plan, "That's exactly what I would suggest."

Bulk nodded, "This is a lot more complicated then I thought it be."

"Adopting a familiar is no easy task." Fluttershy assured. Speaking more confidently, now that they were talking about Animals. "Are you planning on moving to Canterlot for college."

"Nah, I plan to commute. My parents don't want me moving out until I'm not only done with college but an apprenticeship... What I'm going to apprentice in I have no idea,"

"Something to do with magic, perhaps?" Fluttershy pressed. She needed to know his future plan's to see if they were fitting for a familiar.

"I... I don't know," He looked down, and started circling his hoof on the ground. "I'm really good at physical stuff, it just kinda comes natural to me, but I'm also... really good with magic.

"My parents got me a wand when I was little... my mom is a unicorn and wanted me to at least experience magic... well my dad is an Earth pony. How I'm a Pegasus I have no idea... I might try to enroll in the Wonderbolts. You know, go on adventures and put my strength and magic too good use," He seemed... really unsure of that, almost as if he thought that was what he was supposed to do, given his talents.

Fluttershy felt she got a good read on him, "Let me show you some critters that might help you along."

•

A few hours after Bulk left, Fluttershy began to clean things up for closing time. Her quiet humming was interrupted when she heard the door open. She looked up and smiled at the sight of a rainbow-colored mane.

"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy squeed as she dropped her broom and zipped to her friend to hug her.

"Hey Flutters!" Rainbow Dash chuckled, as she patted her friend's back. "How's work?"

"Good! This really nice colt adopted a platypus. The moment he saw her, he just fell in love. He promised me he would give the Platypus a few moons to decide if it wanted to be his familiar. They plan to come back here often, to get me to work with them." She excitedly explained... but then noticed Dash's eyes glaze over.

The Blue Pegasus wasn't the best at feigning interest in things that simply didn't interest her... but at least she was attempting to listen as Fluttershy recounted the tale.

"They really are far too cute together." Fluttershy made one last attempt, but R.D. still seemed bored. So Flutters changed the subject. "How are you?" always a safe topic.

"Oh just fine and dandy for Equestria's most awesome-est pegasus EVER." Rainbow Dash boasted as she jumped high in the air, not noticing Fluttershy roll her eyes with a small smirk on her lips.

Rainbow Dash flew back to the ground as her grin slowly turned to a sad smile. "I wanted to tell you something." She said, her tone shifting to a more serious one. "You know my great grandfather, right? He passed away when I was a filly. Well, My parents told me, a little before you graduated, that he left me his cloud house. And they are letting me move it to Ponyville's cloud district, to live on my own. Even got me an apprenticeship under the local weather pony."

She placed a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "You know I couldn't let my bestest friend in the whole wide world move away, never to see my awesomeness again. You're welcome to stay with me."

Fluttershy returned a sweet smile as she patted Rainbow Dash's hoof, that was still on her shoulder. "That's so sweet of you to offer, but that's okay Rainbow Dash. I mean, thank you for the kind offer but the moving truck is already on it's way to the shelter. I wouldn't want to burden the movers like that. Besides I need to stay in the shelter to keep an eye on all the critters."

R.D. deflated a good bit, losing her over ecstatic aura.

Fluttershy hugged Rainbow Dash once more. "But it will be super nice having a friend live close by. We should do something after I'm done closing. It's a special occasion after all, Birthday filly. You know You're the one supposed to be getting the presents right?"

"Well I couldn't deny you my awesome presence," Dash's cocky grin returned. Feeling no shame at her horrible pun. "Let me help you close up,"

"Thanks Dash," smiled Fluttershy.

• Three Months Later

Flutters and Bulk sat in her cottage. It certainly had a much homier feel now. None of the animals were in cages. They really didn't need to be. Not when Fluttershy could just politely ask them to stay out of certain areas. To stop fighting, to not eat each other. Fluttershy's gift made it easy to get animals to be civil with one another. They seemed to have an instinctive need to please her.

Bulk had often seen Fluttershy talking with the critters... and them, somehow, seeming to understand her.

"Your like me..." Bulk noted.

Fluttershy looked up from her tea cup. They were sitting in the waiting room, enjoying a calming tea. These talks had started as a way to help him get to know Bob (his duck beaver). However, they had somehow devolved into friendly get togethers. Where they chatted about their week.

Bulk chewed his bottom lip, before lifting a sandwich into the air... without touching it, nor even point his wand at it. It simply floated next to him.

"All my life... strange things would happen around me... my parents got me a private tutor, a unicorn, to teach me how to control it enough to hide... I can lift more then an Earth Pony, and cast spells better then any unicorn... and because of that... I've been scared all my life... I'm some kind of freak... my parents thought, sending me to a college for wand users, would let me get this out of my system..."

"What do you want?" Fluttershy simply asked... as if she already knew all this. Bob likely told her.

"I want... to be me..." Bulk admitted. "Too stop being so scared of... just being me. I want... to be as brave as you..."

Fluttershy blushed, "I'm not brave." She assured. "I'm scared of my own shadow."

"You're braver then you realize," Bulk insisted. "I could never just show off my gifts, the way you do. Even if it was to use them to help ponies... like you do. You're amazing, Fluttershy, I'm not even brave enough to tell ponies my real name."

"Oh?" Fluttershy looked eager at the opportunity. "What's your real name?"

Bulk smirked, "As if Bob didn't already tell you."

Fluttershy blushed. Before admitting, "I think it's an adorable name. It suits you."

Bulk shook his head, but allowed, "You can call me that. But only when were in private, critters excluded."

Fluttershy smiled. Happy he thought to include her animal friends. They might not be able to talk to ponies, but they could understand them. "Thank you... Snowflake."

• 1 Year into the Space Age.

Fluttershy... was nervous. She didn't want to give her news, and steal Rarity's and Applejack's thunder. But She wanted to tell her friends. This was the happiest day of her life, she needed to share it... but in the end she couldn't do it.

"It's okay Shy," Snowflake nuzzled her. As they left the spontaneous party, celebrating her friends engagement. "We still have a lot of planning to do. We can just arrange our wedding for after their's." knowing his future wife well enough to know she wouldn't want to distract from her friends happiness... unfortunately, he had said this when Pinkie Pie only had a brick wall separating them.

"YOU TWO ARE GETTING MARRIED TOO!!!" Pinkie suddenly appeared in front of the Pegasi.

With impossible speed, a new party was hosted, and the friends found themselves before a new banner.

Rarity gaped, "You're engaged too!" just as Flutters feared. "Why didn't you tell us!?"

Fluttershy sank to the floor.

Rarity gave a sad smile. "Fluttershy, Darling, I couldn't be happier for you. Greet minds, they truly do think a like." she bent down to nuzzle her friend. "I imagine Dashie will be your mare of honor. You have known her the longest. However, given how irresponsible she is, I promise to keep a close eye on her."

"Hey!!!" Rainbow glared.

"You know it's true, Darling," Rarity just smiled. While Flutters slowly got up. Looking at her friends bicker... and couldn't help but wonder how she ever doubted them. They really were the best friends a pony could have.

• 9 Years into the Space Age.

A deranged laughter could be heard all across town, as the villagers panicked at the army of snakes that invaded Ponyville. Strangely, the sound was coming from a tiny Pegasus, rolling around in the grass.

"Flutter Might!!!" the filly froze, as she heard the stern voice of Fluttershy. "What have I told you about using our animal friends to PRANK ponies."

"Awww," The filly groaned, "Come on mom! It's just a bit of fun!" she insisted. Only to receive THE STARE in return. Most foals knew to fear THE LOOK from their irate parents, but The STARE was a thousand times worse.

"Let me just..." The filly wilted. "Send the snakes home, shall I?"

"I think that's best," Fluttershy nodded. Then watched as the filly ran into the crowd of snakes.

Once her foal was gone, the mare gave an exhausted sigh. "Her powers are growing... and she's so irresponsible with them."

A familiar brown Stallion trotted over, careful to step around the snakes. "My offer still stands," He spoke compassionately. "My school can teach her discipline, and more importantly, a respect for her gifts."

Fluttershy looked at the town, thrown into complete chaos, and back at the brown Stallion. Sighing, she conceded, "Okay Doctor, I'll speak with my husband."