As the couple finish up breakfast, Rhino looks over to Gel with a slightly teasing smile. "So... if I remember right, somepony mentioned something about wanting to go see about getting a little critter companion today. Would you still be interested in that?"

She giggles, nodding. "Of course. You said that would be at..." She opens her journal, quickly scanning the entries. "...Shutterfly's cottage? Is that right?"

"Fluttershy's cottage," he corrects, "I'm fairly certain anypony named Shutterfly would be a photographer or something."

"...you're probably right..." She edits that entry, closing her book. I must've been really tired when I wrote that... "...so...where, exactly, would her cottage be?"

He thinks for a moment as he recalls. "From what I've been told, she lives on the outskirts of town off the path that leads to the Everfree Forest. We'll be able to tell when we're close by all the animals running around near it."

She tilts her head to one side, confused. "...so her cottage is an animal shelter?" Every city and town has one, right?

He shrugs. “I’m not really sure... from what I understand, it seems to be some sort of shelter, first aid station, wild animal sanctuary cross. It’s difficult to classify.”

"...huh...I suppose it must be better than an animal shelter, then..." She shrugs and stands up, moving over to his side of the table. "...have you met her, before?" She tenderly nuzzles his neck, taking a moment to enjoy the feel of his fluffy fur against her own silky fur.

He shakes his head before nuzzling her back. "Not personally, I've only heard stories. I think I only hear as much as i do because of my profession, she tends to keep to herself."

Gel puts a hoof on her chin, thinking a bit. I guess that's fine. Why worry about a mare that hasn't met Rhino, yet? She nods, turning to the door and brushing her tail against his chest almost by habit, now. "...well, then...why don't we go meet her?"

"At once, milady." He teleports over to the door and opens it for her with a bow.

She smiles softly at him, nuzzling his cheek as she passes. "Such a gentlecolt." She winks, stepping outside and looking around. "...not that many ponies out today, are there?"

He shrugs as he locks the door behind them. "Sunday mornings are slow for some ponies I guess." He starts off in the direction of their destination.

"...makes sense to me..." She hurries to catch up to him. As soon as she does, she entwines her tail with his, blushing a bit. "...s-so...want to talk about anything while we're on our way?" She looks up at him hopefully while having to keep a slightly faster pace to match his stride.

"Hmm..." He thinks as they stroll. "Did you enjoy the little relaxing two part date we had yesterday evening?"

She giggles, fondly reminiscing on it. "...absolutely...w-which did you prefer, though? Dinner or our walk through the park?" As always, her journal and a quill float in front of her, ready to take notes on what he says.

"Both have their merits I suppose." He answers. "The walk has that sort of relaxed feeling as you observe the beauty of your surroundings, usually making a comparison to your company, it also has the tendency to clear one's head. The dinner of course, is relaxed in it's own way in that you don't move much and you receive sustenance. It allows a greater chance to focus on your company. I don't know if I could pick between them, I've never been that good at picking favorites."

She nods as she finishes writing, smiling a bit. "...I'm glad to hear that...and I agree on each of your points..." Except the food part. I get that all the time when I'm with you. She glances at her notes before her eyes drift to her pen, a thought occurring to her. ...I've been able to stun him with a touch, but...have I ever tickled him?

She smiles as plans come to her mind but, before she can act on them, she sees they're on a path she doesn't remember. "...where are we?"

He motions ahead. "Almost there, would be a correct answer. This is the split in the path that leads to her house. The other way leads to the Everfree, not someplace I really wish to go."

"Really?" She looks down the second path, curious. "Why would you say that is?" Why does it give me a familiar feeling? Maybe I should investigate it later...

He speaks in a light tone. "Oh you know, a canopy that makes it dark, the dense, easy-to-get-lost-in forest, the dangerous creatures, and of course the dangerous plants. You never know what you can find in there, but I've rarely heard of it ever being good." His tone dropped from light to serious as he spoke.

"Sounds like fun." She rolls her eyes, playfully smiling at him. "Too bad we have other plans, huh?" She heads down the safer of the two routes, whistling a jaunty tune to herself. ...I have no idea where this came from, but it's extremely catchy. Darn you, memory!

After about a minute of her whistling, an almost echoe-like version of it can be heard. A small feathered form swoops down, revealing itself to be a small red bird, whistling a response to her.

Rhino looks on in amusement. "I had heard she has a trained bird chorus, this must be one of them."

Gel smiles, shaking her head softly. "...I'm already learning more about her...and I haven't even met her, yet..." This seems to be quite promising. I wonder if I can somehow become this pony's friend? That would help out a lot... She glances over at the stallion, a wave of guilt hitting her. "...s-so...definitely in the right place, then?"

He nods. "Nopony else lives this far out. Well, aside from the Apples, but they don't count since their farm is part of the town." Animal activity becomes noticeable as more birds are seen flying and little ground creatures come out as well. "We must be getting close."

She nods, stepping closer to him as they pass by a sleeping bear. ...you can't tell me she also takes care of that...it's easily twice the size of him!

She blinks, feeling a pair of hostile eyes on her. She looks down, seeing a white rabbit apparently scowling at her. "...um...h-hi?"

The rabbit just stares at her and Rhino. He looks between the two of them before holding two fingers to his eyes, swiveling his paw to where the digits are pointing at the ponies, then swiveling it back to point at his eyes again. He then quickly hops off, his message delivered.

Rhino blinks at the odd display. "I feel like we just met the gatekeeper or something..." He shakes his head as they round a bend and finally see the house.

It looks like something straight out of the landscape, an almost grass-like roof to it. Bird houses adorn almost every tree, and burrows can be seen in the hills. There is an almost constant buzz of sound from the various critters running around and making their various noises.

Gel can only stare in stunned silence for a few moments. "...she really loves animals, doesn't she?" She giggles quietly, slowly approaching the house so she can take in her surroundings. She sees a couple chestnut-colored chipmunks chase each other up and down trees, smiling softly at the sight. ...aww...how cute is that?

"So it seems..." He looks around, smiling as well as he observes all the creatures. "Shall we see if she's home?" He gestures to the door.

She nods, finally reaching the door and knocking on it. I wonder what she's like...all I can remember is her modeling period and how she shied away from fighting during the invasion...

A barely perceptible 'coming' is heard as they wait. The sound of clicking locks comes from the other side of the door before it cracks open and one aqua eye peers out. The voice belonging to it is soft and quiet. "Umm, yes? Can I help you?

Gel nods, giving her best polite smile. "Hi, there. My name is Angelic Grace, and this is Rhino. We were interested in possibly...getting a pet?" She silently curses, upset that she couldn't keep her sociable tone up. Always with the nervousness...

As if those were the magic words, the door snaps open, revealing a butter yellow pegasus witha pink mane and tail almost exactly like Gel's blond variant. "Oh, how wonderful, I'm sure I'll be able to find something just perfect for you! Here follow me to the back and we'll start finding you a match!" She comes out, shutting the door behind her, and quickly flutters around the side of the house towards the back yard.

The white unicorn blinks in confusion but follows her. This is supposed to be a shy pony? She glances at Rhino, wondering what he thinks about this.

He shrugs. "She likes what she does, I guess."

She slowly nods before turning to the other mare. "...so...what kinds of animals do you have, Miss Fluttershy?" ...why do I have a bad feeling about that question?

The pegasus mare answers happily. "Anything and everything you could possibly want." She seems to be humming a song under her breath. "Now, did you have any ideas for what you wanted?" She stops dead in her tracks momentarily as she hides behind her mane, her voice becoming very quiet. "Umm, that is, if you don't mind answering that of course..."

Gel taps a hoof against her chin, thinking for a bit. "...do you...have a cute, fluffy one? Preferably young?" She recalls the sleeping mountain of fur in front of the house. Maybe a normal pet. I don't think I could handle raising a bear...

She smiles softly, keeping her thoughts hidden for now as she turns to Rhino, playfully bumping his side. "...what kind of pet do you have in mind, l-" She cuts herself off, blushing brightly. ...d-does he want her to know about that? I-I didn't bother to ask...

He doesn't say anything for a moment as he gently pets a small brown bunny that had come up to him. It scurries of after a moment and he replies. "This is your pet, it should be exactly how you want it." His ears flick as the sound of Fluttershy's quiet humming approaches.

She is practically bouncing in the air as she comes over, a small group of animals following her around. "You'd be surprised what fluffy things you can find." She motions and two of them come forward. "This otter has some of the softest fur I've ever seen on one, the same goes for this ferret."

Gel lowers herself onto her belly, smiling softly at the two creatures. "...they're both cute, I'll admit..." She glances at the other animals, pausing when she notices one of them apparently uninterested in what's going on. She looks up at the pegasus as she nods her head towards the silver-gray animal, confused. "...may I ask about that one?"

Fluttershy turns around and sees the critter in question. "Oh, she's actually a Russian Blue kitten." She picks up the feline and sets her down gently in the grass in front of the couple. "What do you think?"

Gel and the kitten stare into each others' eyes for a few moments. The cat steps forward, rubbing her body against the unicorn's hoof as she purrs contentedly.

The mare smiles, enjoying the show of affection. "...I think I'll take her..." She glances over at her coltfriend, wondering what he thinks. She pauses, blinking in surprise at the scene unfolding in front of her.

The green stallion has garnered the attention of quite a few creatures. As he lays down on the grass, two puppies a snuggled up against him while he strokes what appears to be their mother with a hoof. A few bunnies are chasing each other around his form, while a solitary bluebird perches on his horn. Finally, a few more animals watch on as a black squirrel is running up and down his back. Throughout the entirety of this activity, the stallion simply smiles the smile of a content pony, enjoying the moment.

She giggles, finding the scene unbelievably cute. Even so, her mind is trying to analyze it at the same time. ...that's great, and all, but which of them is the one for him? She turns to Fluttershy, smiling kindly. "...I think he made some friends, too..." She slowly starts to approach the group, stopping a yard or two away to make sure she didn't disturb them. ...maybe I should let him stay like that...he seems to enjoy having animals around him...

The pegasus approaches and stands beside her. She observes the scene with a slight giggle, her shyness coming out again. "Oh my... they do seem to be enjoying themselves... Should I tell them to leave him alone?" She looks again at the scene. "He certainly is good with them... gentle..."

"...he is gentle...he wouldn't have his job if he wasn't..." She lowers herself onto her belly once more, simply watching them with a small smile. She feels a pressure appear on her back and turns to see the kitten curled up in a ball. Her heart simply melts at this. ...yeah...definitely a keeper... She turns back to the other unicorn, blinking at a movement behind him. ...what was that?

Suddenly, a small silver fox leaps into the fray, startling the bird and bunnies away. He starts darting around the puppies, yipping at them, hoping to get a response. As the puppies start barking at it in response, their mom apparently doesn't approve of this situation and picks both of them up by the scruff of their necks before walking off. The little fox seems undeterred as it then rushes up to the stallion, rubbing itself on the underside of his chin before darting away.

A small rustle of movement is seen in Rhino's mane as the small head of the squirrel pokes out, the only creature left. The stallion looks upward at it. "You alright up there little buddy?" The squirrel seems to nod as it slowly climbs down onto the ground next to him, looking as the fox runs off. Rhino pets the small creature with a hoof almost by reflex.

...well. That makes things easier. Gel turns to the pegasus, smiling softly. "...I think we'll take that cutie there, too..." She stands up, making sure the feline on her back wouldn't fall, and moves towards Rhino, gently nuzzling his cheek. "...is that alright with you?"

He nuzzles her back before looking down at the little creature. Upon closer inspection, one can see that it is in fact, a flying squirrel, and that it is solid black except for white black lines going from the tips of his ears to the end of his nose, forming an arrow on his face. The little squirrel looks up at him with hopeful eyes. Rhino's heart melts as he scoops the critter up in a hoof. "Mine."

Fluttershy practically beams at the prospect of getting a home for two of her animals. "Oh, how wonderful! I'm so glad you each found a friend!"

So am I. She turns to the other mare, tilting her head to one side. ...does it cost anything? I think I remember hearing that it does in larger towns... "...so...d-do we owe you anything, Miss Fluttershy?" I'm certain I can pay her, if we need to.

The pegasus shakes her head rapidly. "Oh no no no, I could never ask ponies to pay for my friends, I just want them to have good homes." She looks as if she just remembered something. "Speaking of which..." she flies off and returns with two bags. "Here's some food for each of them to get you started."

She takes the bags in her magic aura, smiling softly. "...thank you..." She blushes softly, unsure of what else to say. Turning to Rhino, she gives him a nervous look, hoping he would be able to say what she couldn't.

The squirrel climbs up and onto Rhino's head as he stands. The stallion gives Fluttershy a smile. "Well, I guess we have a pet supply store to get to now, thank you very much Miss Fluttershy."

She nods. "Y-you're welcome." She addresses the two critters. "Have fun you two."

Gel smiles softly, giving a small nod of her head as they turn to leave. "Pleasure meeting you." On instinct, her tail entwines with Rhino's. I suppose this can't be an early birthday present...it'd be mean for the little guy to think of himself like that...

They head back down the path in almost complete silence. She looks up at him, smiling softly. "...if I may ask, what are you planning on naming your new friend?"

He looks upwards at his passenger. "Hmm..." He mumbles a bit, shaking his head every so often before finally nodding. "I think I'll call him... Specter." The newly named pet makes a series of rodent noises that sound like an agreement.

The unicorn giggles, gently nuzzling his neck. "I think that's a great name." She glances back at the kitten on her back, thinking a bit. "...I'll call her...Selena..." She hears purring, smiling a bit more. "...I'm going to assume that she likes it..."

Suddenly, Specter starts chattering away. Rhino looks upward to see him pointing behind them. The stallion turns and sees the same little silver fox from the cottage following them on the road. As the kit gets to them, he runs in between both ponies' legs happily.

Rhino chuckles as he leans down to the silver critter. "Now now, little one, you really shouldn't wander off from home like that."

Gel blinks, unsure what to make of this. Selena cracks open an eye for a moment before closing it disinterestedly. The mare reaches out a hoof, gently stroking the kit's back. "...should we...return him, Rhino?"

"It's the responsible thing to do." He levitates the kit onto his back. "Come along, you." They quickly make their way back to Fluttershy's, finding her still in her backyard. Rhino walks over to her. "Sorry for the unexpected return, but this little one decided to follow us."

The pegasus takes the fox from his back. "Oh, thank you, I would have been so worried when I couldn't find him."

The stallion nods and leans down to the kit. "You be good now, okay?" The two ponies make their way back around the house. Before they can get 10 steps from the front door, the sound of tiny steps and wingbeats approach them quickly from behind, revealing the silver fox chasing after them with Fluttershy in pursuit of it.

The white unicorn can only stare in surprise at this. ...that little kit is really persistent, isn't he? She smiles softly at the fox, lowering herself onto her belly to be at a more even level with him. "...hello again, little one..."

The kit reaches her and touches his nose to her own, making a light purring sound. He then goes over to Rhino, who had leaned down as well, and rears up onto his hind legs, setting his front paws on Rhino's nose and looking him in the eyes.

Gel thinks for a bit, looking up at the other unicorn. "...Rhino...I think he wants to come with us..." ...I really hope that's the case...he's such a cutie, and who's to say our family can't have another member?

"I'm getting that vibe..." The kit continues to stare into the stallion's eyes. "Please stop giving me that look, you're killing my heart by making me feel guilty..." More staring. "Help..."

She taps the fox, giggling quietly. Here goes nothing. "...would you stop staring if we...took you home with us?"

The kit lets out a little yipping sound as Fluttershy looks on. "Oh my, you really would be willing to take him too?"

Rhino gives her an amused look as the kit climbs over his face and onto his back, lightly pushing the squirrel out of the way. "I don't really have a choice, he guilted and cuted me into it."

Gel beams, clapping her forehooves together. "This is great!" She turns to the pegasus, tilting her head to one side. "I don't suppose you have some more food for him, do you?"

She nods. "Being an omnivore, he has a few options, but he does seem fond of berries..." She flutters away and comes back with another sack. "There's also some grains, and a fish for when he's good." She gives the fox a motherly look. "You behave yourself mister."

The white mare takes the bag, nodding appreciatively to Fluttershy. "Thank you, again. I hope you have a nice day." She turns to leave, heading along the path with all three bags in her magical aura, as well as her journal and quill, jotting everything down.

Rhino bids farewell to the happy animal caretaker as well, catching up the Gel quickly. "So... we came away from that with way more than I thought we would..."

"I suppose we did..." She giggles, playfully bumping his side with her flank. "On the bright side, we have three new members of our family!" She hums quietly to herself, a bouncy little tune she'd heard once before.

He chuckles. "Heh, that we do... Now for the next step of heading to the pet supply store and dropping plenty of bits on things for Specter, Selena, and... Mercury."

She blinks, thinking about this name for a bit. "...Mercury..." She smiles softly, nodding a bit. "...sounds like a perfect name for him..." She turns to the fox, gently nuzzling his little head. "Do you like that name, little one?"

The silver vulpine purrs in response.

Rhino stays silent for a moment before commenting. "You know, you and Fluttershy were very similar in some regards."

Gel stops in her tracks, staring at him in confusion. "...what do you mean?"

"Well, for one, your manes and tails were the same style" He begins. "Second, you both are shy and slightly awkward in social situations. Plus there's the fact that both of you tend to forget that shyness for a time when you talk about or do something that you really enjoy."

Gel thinks about this for a bit, curious. ...I suppose that's true...but why is that? Is it just a coincidence? She continues walking, thoughts running through her mind too fast for her to keep track of. "...I never thought about that...I guess some ponies are similar in ways that can't be explained..." She nervously giggles, hoping that the subject would be dropped. My head's starting to hurt...

He nods. "Just an entertaining coincidence. Now..." He looks back to the three passengers. "How are we going to set you little ones up at the house..."