Glancing from side to side, Violet tries to speak up.
"M-miss Fluttershy? Perhaps we should move some place else? Everypony is starting to stare..."
Whether it's Missy's exuberance or just Fluttershy's status as a Very Important Pony, several shoppers are now turned the group's direction and attempting to eavesdrop.
"Oh, its nothing like that. I'd never ask such little ponies to do anything so dangerous!" she says, before looking over at Violet.
"Oh?" Fluttershy looks around, then blinks a little before lowering her head so that her mane falls over one eye, leaving just one to look at the gathered group.
"Well, you see," her voice isn't much more than a whisper now, "we're going away on an important mission, and we need somepony to look after our pets while we're gone." Fluttershy scans the group, giving another (though this time smaller) smile to Missy. "Would you all be willing to help us?"
"I d-don't know...", Violet attempts as a million thoughts race through her head. Will we get paid?
Will we have to look after that rabbit?
Can I run away now?
"l guess I could help, I do have some experience with pets."
In the saddle bag opposite his snacks was a small, tan bunny currently in a deep slumber. An ear twitched as Porter spoke but the animal didn't show any signs of waking up soon. In fact taking care of Hops mainly meant watching him sleep and occasionally feeding him. The bunny somehow needed more sleep than the average house cat.
El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
Missy
For the first time in a long time, a shred of doubt spread across Missy's face. Maybe an instant of terror where Missy remembered hearing something about a grizzly bear...
But it was quickly replaced by her usual enthusiastic smile.
Fluttershy of all ponies is asking ME for help. Like I am going to say no to helping her...
"Yeah, we can definitely do it! You can count on us, fluttershy!"
Seeing her friends signing up, Violet whimpers.
"I-I guess it would be okay...
Are they all in the castle?"
The bunny is not in the castle. But hope springs eternal.
Her eyes narrowing slightly at being referred to as 'little', Fragrance controls herself enough to respond politely, or at least not rudely. Powerful and heroic do-gooders in your debt was rarely a bad thing, maybe they could even get her a chef gig at Canterlot if she played her cards right.
"I could probably spare some time," she offers placidly. "Animals are nice." Present company excluded.
"Oh, wonderful!" Fluttershy beams brightly. "You can come by my cottage on the edge of Everfree Forest tomorrow morning, and I'll introduce you to my friends and our pets. But for now, I'm afraid I must be going. Thank you so much!"
And with that she turns and trots off into the crowd, seemingly in a hurry. Your last sight of Fluttershy is really more of Angel, on her back, his tongue stuck out at Fragrance as he brandishes one of the pony's buttermilkweed bars in triumph.
At this point, feel free to take a few posts to chat about your interaction with Fluttershy and the upcoming event, then fill me in if you'd like on how you spend the rest of your day, and then we'll cut to tomorrow morning.
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El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited July 2017
Missy
"Oh-em-gee this is going to be the best! We get to hang out at Fluttershy's house, take care of her pets, and meet her friends! Maybe even a real princess and her dragon!"
Missy's enthusiasm ratcheted down by one or two notches as she turned to look at Porter.
"Soooooo.... How do you take care of pets? Just give em food and make sure they don't run away, right? Can't be that hard."
"Anypony can just leave out a big pile of food and make sure the door's locked before they leave, Chief," Fragrance butts in. "Petsitting means giving them attention, and keeping them happy and entertained while their owners are away," the Earth Pony continues, picking up her fallen goods and stuffing them back into her bags.
"And making sure nothing bad happens while they're away. You see how Quietwing or whatsherface looked around and hushed up when she mentioned her and her pals were going out of town? Sounds like trouble to me."
"Well food and water for sure." He glances over at Hops who is still sound asleep. "Places to sleep are usually pretty important too." He pauses as Fragrance verbally runs him over and then continues a little quieter. "Fragrance isn't wrong though, we will have to keep the pets safe and entertained."
El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
Missy
Missy rolled her eyes at Fragrance. "They're probably on a top-secret mission to save Equestria from the forces of badness again."
Her eyes un-focused a bit, and she was off into Missy-land for what would probably be a good minute or two. "Ooooo maybe they're going to retire soon and are looking for a group of young ponies to groom to be their successors! And once we show them how awesome we are at looking after their animals they'll start training us to be awesome like they are! *gasp* Maybe I can be an Alicorn princess one day...!"
"Pfft.. you'd have to be trained by a princess to be an alicorn!", Violet laughs.
"Probably also a unicorn too, as Twilight was.".
Violet idly flicks her braid back and forth.
"Not that I'd want to be an alicorn. Too many speeches. But you'd all be welcome to visit me in my castle!"
"Pretty sure Porter's got better odds of transforming into an Alicorn than you two," Fragrance murmurs, before pausing to briefly review that mental image.
She snickers.
+1
El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
Missy
Missy snapped out of her reverie eventually. "Aaand where was I? Oh right, this is seriously a chance of a lifetime guys! These are seriously awesome ponies who want us to help em out, even if it's just with their pets. I want everyone to get lots of sleep tonight and if you can find any toys or treats for pets, bring em along!"
With that she seems ready to zip off...
Feel free to interact with Missy more if you like. I'm ready to change scenes when you all are...
@Mahou So-so Missy is poanning on bringing treats for the pets. Probably something horribly inapprpriate like cookies and marshmallows, I think...
I'm also ready to switch scenes. Violet's going to enjoy the rest of the festival, and then read up on how to care for pets later at the town library. I assume there's one somewhere that's not Twilight's old house.
"Chance of lifetime, alright. I can't wait to get exiled to the moon for feeding someone's cat the wrong thing," the green Pony murmurs, before pausing to consider the implications. Nightmare Fragrance!
Shaking away the tempting vision, she continues. "Whatever, catch you tiny horses on the flip side, then."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm hot to trot, so to speak. Fragrance will wander off with her stuff and probably perform a food-based atrocity or two at home or her workplace. No real preparation for the petsitting, as she is not taking it that seriously and assumes whatever's needed will be provided or explained on site.[/spoilers]
The next morning dawns and you all make your way towards Fluttershy's cottage, which lies on the edge of the Everfree Forest (a wild, wooded, and mysterious area, avoided by most ponies with good sense as a scary place). The cottage is reached by crossing a small bridge over a fast-flowing river.
Once the cottage comes into sight, you're struck by a most remarkable abode. Fluttershy's roof is covered in green leaves, looking a bit like a tree house. Dozens of bird boxes and bird tables hang from the branches of the roof and from the trees dotted around the cottage. The air is alive with the sound of pretty birdsong, while wild rabbits and squirrels bound and scamp along the path leading up to the cottage, though they flit away as you all approach.
Fluttershy opens the door as you trot up the last few feet to the door.
"Hello there," she says cheerfully, "I'm so glad you could make it. Thank you again! Come in!" She holds holds the door open for you, and inside you can see the cottage is very cozy. There are comfy seats for ponies, and several bed baskets on the floor for when Fluttershy's animal friends come to visit. Several birdhouses hang from the ceiling, with colorful birds flapping around at head-level. The baseboards are dotted with mouse holes, from which curious mice stare up at you as you enter. There are lots of books about pets and wildlife on the various shelves fixed to the walls. Despite all of the many animals and birds, Fluttershy seems to manage to keep her cottage very need and tidy.
Waiting inside the cottage are five other ponies and a small purple dragon.
Porter was up early, having his own work to tend to before heading over to Fluttershy's home. The sheer number of bird houses places a bit of doubt in his mind. How many animals were they going to be taking care of? When they enter Fluttershy's home every animal bed and mouse hole just adds onto that existing doubt. It was quite possible that the ponies were in over their head. The sheer number of animals had kept him distracted, now his eyes fell on the other ponies that had been waiting on them.
Porter was suddenly very aware of his size and the eyes on him. He mutters a quiet, "Good morning," to those in attendance.
El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
Missy
Missy flies slowly into the cottage in front of her friends, dropping to the ground in front of the Very Important Ponies with a little curtsy (the curtsy looked exactly like you would expect a curtsy to look if someone who didn't actually know what a curtsy looked like practiced very very hard to get it to look right- this plus a bit of nerves ended up with a maneuver that was a combination of a bow and someone tripping on a banana peel).
Standing up again, she put on a brave face. "Hello Princess! I am Missy, and these are my friends Fragrance, Violet and Porter. We're ever so glad to meet you, and happy we can help look after your friends for you while you're away!"
Gnawing on a caramel onion, Fragrance falls in with the rest of the group. "Yeah," she adds to Missy's initial introduction with a mouth full of sugar and macerated veggie bulb. "Fragrance, that's me. What's up? Real, total honor to be here and all that," she continues, waving her half-eaten 'confection' in haphazard illustration of her enthusiasm. She takes another bite while warily taking in the cottage's interior.
Whimpercry has a dang zoo in here. Shoulda brought some galoshes and a hat. Or an Umbrella.
Tailing the rest of the group, Violet quietly closes the door behind everypony. Perhaps if I hide behind the others then the Princess and her friends won't notice me...
Missy ever-helpfully gestures towards Violet during her introductions however.
"H-hi! I'm Violet.", she stammers, stating the obvious. "I i've been reading about pets, b-but I don't think I've come across anything on dragons..."
Spike puffs up a bit, crossing his arms. "Hey," he says, sounding a bit injured, "I'm no pet. I'm a valuable member of this team!"
"Oh Spike, she didn't mean anything by it. Not everyone knows what to expect from a dragon, after all." Twilight reassures him, before offering you all a little curtsy.
"It is so nice to meet you. Thank you all so much for coming, and for your offer to take care of our pets while we're away. We had promised them a pampering party, and now they can have it." The Princess smiles, looking up at an owl that has perched on the nearby bookshelf. "Now, you might know some of us, but I suppose proper introductions are in order. I," she says, with another small curtsy, "am Twilight Sparkle, and that's my owl, Owlowicious. Say 'Hello', Owlowicious!"
"Whoo."
"He's very well behaved. He loves being tickled just behind his ear feathers, and his favorite treats are chocolate mice."
"Whoo." The owl hoots in agreement.
"And this is Applejack--"
"Howdy! Nice to meetcha!"
"--and her loyal dog, Winona."
"Say 'Howdy', Winona!" The brown and white pup offers up a friendly park, a nametag dangling from her red collar as she rolls about between Applejack's legs. "Give her a bone to chew on, and she'll happy as a worm in an apple barrel. That, and her favorite things of all, " adds Applejack, "...belly scratches." She demonstrates enthusiastically, and gets an equal response from Winona.
"And then this is Pinkie Pie," Twilight continues the introductions, "and her alligator Gummy."
"What did you say, Gummy?" Pinky Pie leans her head close to the small reptile she's holding. "You say you like these ponies? Well, if you like them, then I like them!" The aptly-named pink pony bounces up at down as the gater, which has not uttered a word, stares blankly at you. "Hi, Ponies! Gummy says he'd like you to feed him fish cakes, and play his favorite game, which is Snap, of course!"
"Of course," agrees Twilight, with a small roll of her eyes. "Then we have Rarity and Opalescence."
"A pleasure to meet you all," chimes Rarity, offer a curtsy. "Opalescence is extremely sensitive, so you must take full care of my little darling," she says, preening a white, fluffy cat wearing an opal-studded collar around her neck, a purple ribbon atop her head, and carrying a toy mouse in her mouth. "She will only touch the finest cat treats, and you simply must regularly comb her fur--just the way she likes it, of course."
"Of course," Twilight agrees again, her eyes rolling a little harder this time.
"And lastly, since you've already met Fluttershy and Angel," you all notice the bunny plopped atop one of the pony chairs, sneering at Fragrance, "we have Rainbow Dash and the amazing Tank."
"Say 'Hello' to your new friends, Tank!" Rainbow Dash's voice sounds powered by pure enthusiasm. "They're gonna show you an awesome time!" She turns to look at you. "Aren'tcha?" A large green turtle looks slowly up at you from the floor. He is wearing aviation goggles, and has a helicopter rotor strapped to his shell. "Feed him plenty of lettuce and let him out for a spin once in a while, and he'll be as fine as the weather after the winter wrap-up!"
El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
edited July 2017
Missy
Missy's head reels from the information dump she's just received. Scratch the alligator behind the ear feathers? Give the cat a bone and scratch its tummy? Did that turtle really have a beanie hat that let it fly?!
She shook off her insecurities and trusted her friends to remember all that. That's why she loved having them around- they could handle all the small details. Missy was all about the big picture, and for now that meant reassuring the royalty that her and her friends' pets would be well taken care of so she didn't worry.
"That's really great, your uhhh majesty?" Said Missy as confidently as she could. "My friends and I will take care of everything while yourself and your friends are on your important mission to save Equestria!"
She paused for a moment, thinking she should have a question or something to appear competent.
"All the treats you mentioned, do you have those here somewhere? I don't think we brought any chocolate frogs, for instance..."
"Oh yes," Fluttershy answers, "I should have it all somewhere in the kitchen. And luckily my sweet little Angel only needs a few carrots, cuddles, and a nice tail-fluffing."
The list of information actually put Porter more at ease. If he was nothing else, he was a hard working pony.
In a quiet voice he repeated everything aloud to commit it to his own memory.
"Owl, Owlowicious. Tickles behind the ear and chocolate mice.
Dog, Winona. Belly scratches and bones.
Alligator, Gummy. Snap game and fish cakes.
Cat,Opalescence. Regular combing and finest cat treats.
Turtle, Tank. Flight time and lettuce.
Finally the rabbit, Angel. Cuddles, tail fluffing, and carrots.
"Good.", whispers Violet to Porter, whimpering, whilst hiding behind him, "I didn't catch any of it...".
The purple pony is deeply embarrassed at being admonished by Spike, and spent the introduction cowering from view.
The VIPs are flashing differing looks of confusion, compassion and understanding at the pony, but to Violet they're all just more piercing eyes.
Spike is the best of them, paradoxically, by refusing to look at her at all.
"Perhaps I can help you hold the bunny down so we can fluff his tail later?", eyeing the rabbit throwing daggers at Fragrance.
"I mean, we have enough ponies here that we should be able to handle ourselves..."
El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
Missy
Missy gave a thankful and encouraging smile to Porter as he talked, now sure someone would remember the details. And she gave a relieved smile and a wink to Violet, who had done quite well addressing the Princess given her shyness.
Her eyes turned to Fragrence last, trying to look encouraging, while also trying to convey Please please please don't snark the actual Princess...
"Oh yeah," Fragrance agrees cheerfully. "I'm ready to fluff some tails, alright. And all that other stuff too. I've got a hunger for responsibility that only petsitting can satisfy. Your pals are in good hooves with us."
This all sounds remarkably demure and sincere. And therefore worrying to someone who knows Fragrance.
"Wonderful," exclaims Twilight Sparkle. "I don't know how long we'll be away--we have to travel to the Badlands, far to the South. You'll be staying here in Fluttershy's cottage, taking care of the pets until we return. Make sure they're well fed and entertained. We promised them a pampering party today, so that's your first job--to make sure they're well and truly pampered!"
"I wish I could stay and be well and truly pampered," Spike scoffs.
"I thought you were a valuable member of our team, Spike?" chides the Princess.
"Hrmph."
"Oh, but I do agree," agrees Rarity. "I'd much rather be having a spa day than travelling to those awful Badlands. I mean, they aren't named the 'Goodforyourhoovesland', after all."
Twilight clears her throat gently. "Anyway, I am sure Fluttershy would appreciate if you kept the cottage clean and tidy--she's been very kind to let you stay here while we're all away. We don't want her to be upset by any unsightly mess when she gets home."
"You wouldn't like her when she's angry," Spike whispers behind his hand.
"I'm sure everything will be fine," Twilight continues, "you seem like nice, kind ponies who are good with animals, if Angel is any measure. But it's almost time for us to catch our train. Do you have any last minute questions?"
"Ya'll got an emergency contact here in Ponyville?" Fragrance asks. "Not that we'll need it, but you know. Somepony in town you trust if something unusual happens and we need some help or advice."
"If you need anything, go to the Apple Family Farm. Either Bic Mac should be able to help you if there's an emergency." Twilight says, before turning to Violet. "I'm afraid I just don't know. We only even think we know that's where we need to go. Unfortunately we won't have answers until we get there. If things seem like they'll be too long though, I'll send Spike back."
Mahou So-so on
0
El SkidThe frozen white northRegistered Userregular
Missy
"Don't you worry, Princess. I'm sure we'll be able to handle whatever comes up." Missy gives an encouraging smile at her friends. "We're a motley assortment of friends facing a tough challenge... And that's a proven recipe for success, right?"
"Oh, there's just one more thing..." Missy reaches into her bag and pulls out a card and a pen, causing a bunch of cookies to spill onto the floor. "Rainbow Dash... Could I get you to autograph this for me?" She hands Rainbow Dash a pristine condition Wonderbolts rookie card with a slight blush,
Posts
Porter
He was used to Missy's exuberance and Fragrance's bluster, but he wasn't used to such an important pony asking for his help.
Porter straightened a little as he spoke, "How? What could we do to help a pony like you and your friends?"
Comics, Games, Booze
"M-miss Fluttershy? Perhaps we should move some place else? Everypony is starting to stare..."
Whether it's Missy's exuberance or just Fluttershy's status as a Very Important Pony, several shoppers are now turned the group's direction and attempting to eavesdrop.
"Oh?" Fluttershy looks around, then blinks a little before lowering her head so that her mane falls over one eye, leaving just one to look at the gathered group.
"Well, you see," her voice isn't much more than a whisper now, "we're going away on an important mission, and we need somepony to look after our pets while we're gone." Fluttershy scans the group, giving another (though this time smaller) smile to Missy. "Would you all be willing to help us?"
Will we get paid?
Will we have to look after that rabbit?
Can I run away now?
Comics, Games, Booze
Porter
"l guess I could help, I do have some experience with pets."
In the saddle bag opposite his snacks was a small, tan bunny currently in a deep slumber. An ear twitched as Porter spoke but the animal didn't show any signs of waking up soon. In fact taking care of Hops mainly meant watching him sleep and occasionally feeding him. The bunny somehow needed more sleep than the average house cat.
Comics, Games, Booze
For the first time in a long time, a shred of doubt spread across Missy's face. Maybe an instant of terror where Missy remembered hearing something about a grizzly bear...
But it was quickly replaced by her usual enthusiastic smile.
Fluttershy of all ponies is asking ME for help. Like I am going to say no to helping her...
"Yeah, we can definitely do it! You can count on us, fluttershy!"
"I-I guess it would be okay...
Are they all in the castle?"
The bunny is not in the castle. But hope springs eternal.
Fragrance
Her eyes narrowing slightly at being referred to as 'little', Fragrance controls herself enough to respond politely, or at least not rudely. Powerful and heroic do-gooders in your debt was rarely a bad thing, maybe they could even get her a chef gig at Canterlot if she played her cards right.
"I could probably spare some time," she offers placidly. "Animals are nice." Present company excluded.
And with that she turns and trots off into the crowd, seemingly in a hurry. Your last sight of Fluttershy is really more of Angel, on her back, his tongue stuck out at Fragrance as he brandishes one of the pony's buttermilkweed bars in triumph.
"Oh-em-gee this is going to be the best! We get to hang out at Fluttershy's house, take care of her pets, and meet her friends! Maybe even a real princess and her dragon!"
Missy's enthusiasm ratcheted down by one or two notches as she turned to look at Porter.
"Soooooo.... How do you take care of pets? Just give em food and make sure they don't run away, right? Can't be that hard."
Fragrance
"Anypony can just leave out a big pile of food and make sure the door's locked before they leave, Chief," Fragrance butts in. "Petsitting means giving them attention, and keeping them happy and entertained while their owners are away," the Earth Pony continues, picking up her fallen goods and stuffing them back into her bags.
"And making sure nothing bad happens while they're away. You see how Quietwing or whatsherface looked around and hushed up when she mentioned her and her pals were going out of town? Sounds like trouble to me."
Porter
"Well food and water for sure." He glances over at Hops who is still sound asleep. "Places to sleep are usually pretty important too." He pauses as Fragrance verbally runs him over and then continues a little quieter. "Fragrance isn't wrong though, we will have to keep the pets safe and entertained."
Comics, Games, Booze
Missy rolled her eyes at Fragrance. "They're probably on a top-secret mission to save Equestria from the forces of badness again."
Her eyes un-focused a bit, and she was off into Missy-land for what would probably be a good minute or two. "Ooooo maybe they're going to retire soon and are looking for a group of young ponies to groom to be their successors! And once we show them how awesome we are at looking after their animals they'll start training us to be awesome like they are! *gasp* Maybe I can be an Alicorn princess one day...!"
"Pfft.. you'd have to be trained by a princess to be an alicorn!", Violet laughs.
"Probably also a unicorn too, as Twilight was.".
Violet idly flicks her braid back and forth.
"Not that I'd want to be an alicorn. Too many speeches. But you'd all be welcome to visit me in my castle!"
Fragrance
"Pretty sure Porter's got better odds of transforming into an Alicorn than you two," Fragrance murmurs, before pausing to briefly review that mental image.
She snickers.
Missy snapped out of her reverie eventually. "Aaand where was I? Oh right, this is seriously a chance of a lifetime guys! These are seriously awesome ponies who want us to help em out, even if it's just with their pets. I want everyone to get lots of sleep tonight and if you can find any toys or treats for pets, bring em along!"
With that she seems ready to zip off...
@Mahou So-so Missy is poanning on bringing treats for the pets. Probably something horribly inapprpriate like cookies and marshmallows, I think...
Comics, Games, Booze
Fragrance
"Chance of lifetime, alright. I can't wait to get exiled to the moon for feeding someone's cat the wrong thing," the green Pony murmurs, before pausing to consider the implications. Nightmare Fragrance!
Shaking away the tempting vision, she continues. "Whatever, catch you tiny horses on the flip side, then."
Once the cottage comes into sight, you're struck by a most remarkable abode. Fluttershy's roof is covered in green leaves, looking a bit like a tree house. Dozens of bird boxes and bird tables hang from the branches of the roof and from the trees dotted around the cottage. The air is alive with the sound of pretty birdsong, while wild rabbits and squirrels bound and scamp along the path leading up to the cottage, though they flit away as you all approach.
Fluttershy opens the door as you trot up the last few feet to the door.
"Hello there," she says cheerfully, "I'm so glad you could make it. Thank you again! Come in!" She holds holds the door open for you, and inside you can see the cottage is very cozy. There are comfy seats for ponies, and several bed baskets on the floor for when Fluttershy's animal friends come to visit. Several birdhouses hang from the ceiling, with colorful birds flapping around at head-level. The baseboards are dotted with mouse holes, from which curious mice stare up at you as you enter. There are lots of books about pets and wildlife on the various shelves fixed to the walls. Despite all of the many animals and birds, Fluttershy seems to manage to keep her cottage very need and tidy.
Waiting inside the cottage are five other ponies and a small purple dragon.
Porter
Porter was up early, having his own work to tend to before heading over to Fluttershy's home. The sheer number of bird houses places a bit of doubt in his mind. How many animals were they going to be taking care of? When they enter Fluttershy's home every animal bed and mouse hole just adds onto that existing doubt. It was quite possible that the ponies were in over their head. The sheer number of animals had kept him distracted, now his eyes fell on the other ponies that had been waiting on them.
Porter was suddenly very aware of his size and the eyes on him. He mutters a quiet, "Good morning," to those in attendance.
Comics, Games, Booze
Missy flies slowly into the cottage in front of her friends, dropping to the ground in front of the Very Important Ponies with a little curtsy (the curtsy looked exactly like you would expect a curtsy to look if someone who didn't actually know what a curtsy looked like practiced very very hard to get it to look right- this plus a bit of nerves ended up with a maneuver that was a combination of a bow and someone tripping on a banana peel).
Standing up again, she put on a brave face. "Hello Princess! I am Missy, and these are my friends Fragrance, Violet and Porter. We're ever so glad to meet you, and happy we can help look after your friends for you while you're away!"
Fragrance
Gnawing on a caramel onion, Fragrance falls in with the rest of the group. "Yeah," she adds to Missy's initial introduction with a mouth full of sugar and macerated veggie bulb. "Fragrance, that's me. What's up? Real, total honor to be here and all that," she continues, waving her half-eaten 'confection' in haphazard illustration of her enthusiasm. She takes another bite while warily taking in the cottage's interior.
Whimpercry has a dang zoo in here. Shoulda brought some galoshes and a hat. Or an Umbrella.
Tailing the rest of the group, Violet quietly closes the door behind everypony.
Perhaps if I hide behind the others then the Princess and her friends won't notice me...
Missy ever-helpfully gestures towards Violet during her introductions however.
"H-hi! I'm Violet.", she stammers, stating the obvious.
"I i've been reading about pets, b-but I don't think I've come across anything on dragons..."
"Oh Spike, she didn't mean anything by it. Not everyone knows what to expect from a dragon, after all." Twilight reassures him, before offering you all a little curtsy.
"It is so nice to meet you. Thank you all so much for coming, and for your offer to take care of our pets while we're away. We had promised them a pampering party, and now they can have it." The Princess smiles, looking up at an owl that has perched on the nearby bookshelf. "Now, you might know some of us, but I suppose proper introductions are in order. I," she says, with another small curtsy, "am Twilight Sparkle, and that's my owl, Owlowicious. Say 'Hello', Owlowicious!"
"Whoo."
"He's very well behaved. He loves being tickled just behind his ear feathers, and his favorite treats are chocolate mice."
"Whoo." The owl hoots in agreement.
"And this is Applejack--"
"Howdy! Nice to meetcha!"
"--and her loyal dog, Winona."
"Say 'Howdy', Winona!" The brown and white pup offers up a friendly park, a nametag dangling from her red collar as she rolls about between Applejack's legs. "Give her a bone to chew on, and she'll happy as a worm in an apple barrel. That, and her favorite things of all, " adds Applejack, "...belly scratches." She demonstrates enthusiastically, and gets an equal response from Winona.
"And then this is Pinkie Pie," Twilight continues the introductions, "and her alligator Gummy."
"What did you say, Gummy?" Pinky Pie leans her head close to the small reptile she's holding. "You say you like these ponies? Well, if you like them, then I like them!" The aptly-named pink pony bounces up at down as the gater, which has not uttered a word, stares blankly at you. "Hi, Ponies! Gummy says he'd like you to feed him fish cakes, and play his favorite game, which is Snap, of course!"
"Of course," agrees Twilight, with a small roll of her eyes. "Then we have Rarity and Opalescence."
"A pleasure to meet you all," chimes Rarity, offer a curtsy. "Opalescence is extremely sensitive, so you must take full care of my little darling," she says, preening a white, fluffy cat wearing an opal-studded collar around her neck, a purple ribbon atop her head, and carrying a toy mouse in her mouth. "She will only touch the finest cat treats, and you simply must regularly comb her fur--just the way she likes it, of course."
"Of course," Twilight agrees again, her eyes rolling a little harder this time.
"And lastly, since you've already met Fluttershy and Angel," you all notice the bunny plopped atop one of the pony chairs, sneering at Fragrance, "we have Rainbow Dash and the amazing Tank."
"Say 'Hello' to your new friends, Tank!" Rainbow Dash's voice sounds powered by pure enthusiasm. "They're gonna show you an awesome time!" She turns to look at you. "Aren'tcha?" A large green turtle looks slowly up at you from the floor. He is wearing aviation goggles, and has a helicopter rotor strapped to his shell. "Feed him plenty of lettuce and let him out for a spin once in a while, and he'll be as fine as the weather after the winter wrap-up!"
"And that's everybody," finishes Twilight sounding somewhat relieved.
Missy's head reels from the information dump she's just received. Scratch the alligator behind the ear feathers? Give the cat a bone and scratch its tummy? Did that turtle really have a beanie hat that let it fly?!
She shook off her insecurities and trusted her friends to remember all that. That's why she loved having them around- they could handle all the small details. Missy was all about the big picture, and for now that meant reassuring the royalty that her and her friends' pets would be well taken care of so she didn't worry.
"That's really great, your uhhh majesty?" Said Missy as confidently as she could. "My friends and I will take care of everything while yourself and your friends are on your important mission to save Equestria!"
She paused for a moment, thinking she should have a question or something to appear competent.
"All the treats you mentioned, do you have those here somewhere? I don't think we brought any chocolate frogs, for instance..."
Porter
The list of information actually put Porter more at ease. If he was nothing else, he was a hard working pony.
In a quiet voice he repeated everything aloud to commit it to his own memory.
"Owl, Owlowicious. Tickles behind the ear and chocolate mice.
Dog, Winona. Belly scratches and bones.
Alligator, Gummy. Snap game and fish cakes.
Cat,Opalescence. Regular combing and finest cat treats.
Turtle, Tank. Flight time and lettuce.
Finally the rabbit, Angel. Cuddles, tail fluffing, and carrots.
I think I got all of it."
Comics, Games, Booze
"Good.", whispers Violet to Porter, whimpering, whilst hiding behind him, "I didn't catch any of it...".
The purple pony is deeply embarrassed at being admonished by Spike, and spent the introduction cowering from view.
The VIPs are flashing differing looks of confusion, compassion and understanding at the pony, but to Violet they're all just more piercing eyes.
Spike is the best of them, paradoxically, by refusing to look at her at all.
"Perhaps I can help you hold the bunny down so we can fluff his tail later?", eyeing the rabbit throwing daggers at Fragrance.
"I mean, we have enough ponies here that we should be able to handle ourselves..."
Missy gave a thankful and encouraging smile to Porter as he talked, now sure someone would remember the details. And she gave a relieved smile and a wink to Violet, who had done quite well addressing the Princess given her shyness.
Her eyes turned to Fragrence last, trying to look encouraging, while also trying to convey Please please please don't snark the actual Princess...
Fragrance
"Oh yeah," Fragrance agrees cheerfully. "I'm ready to fluff some tails, alright. And all that other stuff too. I've got a hunger for responsibility that only petsitting can satisfy. Your pals are in good hooves with us."
This all sounds remarkably demure and sincere. And therefore worrying to someone who knows Fragrance.
"I wish I could stay and be well and truly pampered," Spike scoffs.
"I thought you were a valuable member of our team, Spike?" chides the Princess.
"Hrmph."
"Oh, but I do agree," agrees Rarity. "I'd much rather be having a spa day than travelling to those awful Badlands. I mean, they aren't named the 'Goodforyourhoovesland', after all."
Twilight clears her throat gently. "Anyway, I am sure Fluttershy would appreciate if you kept the cottage clean and tidy--she's been very kind to let you stay here while we're all away. We don't want her to be upset by any unsightly mess when she gets home."
"You wouldn't like her when she's angry," Spike whispers behind his hand.
"I'm sure everything will be fine," Twilight continues, "you seem like nice, kind ponies who are good with animals, if Angel is any measure. But it's almost time for us to catch our train. Do you have any last minute questions?"
Fragrance
"Ya'll got an emergency contact here in Ponyville?" Fragrance asks. "Not that we'll need it, but you know. Somepony in town you trust if something unusual happens and we need some help or advice."
"Um.. a-and how long are you going to be away?"
"Don't you worry, Princess. I'm sure we'll be able to handle whatever comes up." Missy gives an encouraging smile at her friends. "We're a motley assortment of friends facing a tough challenge... And that's a proven recipe for success, right?"
"Oh, there's just one more thing..." Missy reaches into her bag and pulls out a card and a pen, causing a bunch of cookies to spill onto the floor. "Rainbow Dash... Could I get you to autograph this for me?" She hands Rainbow Dash a pristine condition Wonderbolts rookie card with a slight blush,