Fluttershy sat up in her bed, stretching out and yawning. The sun was only just rising, and most ponies would remain asleep for another hour or two. Fluttershy always got up early, because she always had a lot to do. As the sole animal caretaker in Ponyville, Fluttershy always seemed to have a lot on her hooves. On any given morning, she had to go around her cottage to feed the animal friends that could live with her. These animals included songbirds, squirrels, mice, a badger, a family of beavers, and her dear Angel Bunny, as well as several miscellaneous animals that passed through from time to time. Feeding all of the cottage animals took about half an hour, but her work wasn't even near done.

After the cottage animals were fed, Fluttershy went outside to feed the bears, owls, and fish that were either too big, too uncomfortable, or otherwise ill-equipped to live within the cottage. This was also when she greeted new animals who might need her help. Sometimes, these new friends came from someplace south of Ponyville, but, more often than not, they came from the depths of the Everfree Forest. After the new arrivals were accounted for, Fluttershy tended to her chickens, gathered several different kinds of medicinal herbs from the Everfree, mixed them into ointments and remedies for her ailing friends, and only then did she have everything she needed done before breakfast.

This morning was more or less the same at the start. She went about feeding her cottage animals just like she usually did. As usual, her animal friends were very grateful (except Angel, who just kind of hissed). It was Monday, a chilly one, so Fluttershy started up a kettle for tea before going to check on the outside animals. She trotted from her kitchen to her front door and pulled it open. She stepped out, just barely processing the shape at her doorstep before she squashed it.

Pinkie Pie was curled up, apparently sleeping on Fluttershy’s doorstep. Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion. She nudged her sleeping friend gently, as if afraid of waking her. When Pinkie remained motionless, Fluttershy shook her a little more firmly.

“Pinkie?” said Fluttershy with a tone that implied she was very concerned. “Um… Please wake up?”

Slowly, Pinkie’s eyes opened. She let out a tiny yawn, then arched her back like a stretching cat.

“Pinkie? Why were you sleeping in front of my house?” asked Fluttershy. Pinkie looked Fluttershy in the eye with absolute confidence, then declared her answer.

“Meow!”

Fluttershy had to pause in order to make sure she heard that correctly.

“Er… Pinkie?” Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“Meow!”

“Um… I’m sorry, I don’t understand… Is it a joke?” Fluttershy asked. “I don’t get it…”

“Meow!” Pinkie tip-hooved forward with catlike grace, slipping past Fluttershy and sliding into the cottage.

“Um… C-come in?” said Fluttershy in confusion.

Fluttershy was a very patient mare. She had a very high tolerance for nonsense and blatant insanity, something she surely picked up from being friends with Pinkie Pie for so long. As shocking as it was to see her friend walk into her house, meowing like a cat, Fluttershy wasn’t angry or even annoyed. Just… intrigued.

“Meow meow!”

“This is getting strange,” said Fluttershy. “Er… More so than usual, I mean.” Pinkie crept through Fluttershy’s living room, periodically meowing as she searched for… Something.

“Pinkie, you’re really confusing me,” said Fluttershy. She closed her door and followed Pinkie throughout the house. “Are you looking for something?”

“Meow!”

“Is that… Does that mean yes?”

“Meow!”

“Oh, I see…” Fluttershy did not actually see, but it felt like the thing to say. “Okay, then… Oh! One meow means ‘yes’, and two means ‘no’, okay?”

“Meow!” Pinkie stopped, leapt onto Fluttershy’s sofa, and curled into a little ball.

“Let’s test this…” said Fluttershy. “Pinkie Pie, do you like Brussel sprouts?” Pinkie arched her back and, somehow, caused her coat to frizz angrily.

“Meow meow!” she hissed.

“Okay, this might work!” Fluttershy clapped her hooves giddily. “Pinkie, are you looking for something?”

“Meow!” Pinkie returned to her pacing as if nothing had happened. She was drifting towards the kitchen area, but she seemed to be taking the longest, most disruptive route possible to get there. She leapt from a chair to a coffee table, then back to the floor for no apparent reason other than to be an inconvenience to anypony who may have been there.

“So you are looking for something… But what kind of something?” Fluttershy tapped her chin in thought. She considered Pinkie’s state of mind at the moment. What could a “cat” possibly be searching for? “Pinkie? Are you… hungry?”

“Meow meow!” Pinkie shook her head. “Meow!”

“No, and yes? Oh, does that mean I’m getting close?”

“Meow!”

“Okay, then. Not hungry, so… Are you thirsty?”

“Meow!” Pinkie crawled over and rubbed her side against Fluttershy, purring while she did.

“Um… Would you like some… some milk?” asked Fluttershy.

“Meow!” Fluttershy nodded, then cantered over to her kitchen. She opened up her refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of milk, then poured it into a dish from her cabinet. She placed the dish down on her kitchen floor, still not entirely sure of what to make of this.

“Here you go, Pinkie,” said Fluttershy. Pinkie gracefully crept over to her dish. She brought her face down and took a drink. She purred softly, then drank her fill of delicious, refreshing milk.

“Meow!” Fluttershy chose to interpret that as “thank you”, though Pinkie gave no indication that she meant anything of the sort.

“Okay, Pinkie, now that you’ve gotten your milk, can you…” Pinkie Pie ignored Fluttershy and headed for the door, walking right past her. Before Fluttershy could say much of anything, Pinkie Pie was gone.

This was officially the weirdest thing to happen in recent history.

“Pinkie, come back!” Fluttershy whisper-shouted. It was no use, she was already gone. Fluttershy would have loved to chase after her, but she had her animals to deal with. Fluttershy hurried through her chores, attempting to finish as quickly as possible so that she could find some answers.

When Fluttershy finished her work, she fluttered through town in search of Pinkie Pie. After seven hours of looking and interrogating her friends, Fluttershy was able to conclude that Pinkie Pie had disappeared. She knew there was no cause for alarm. Pinkie had a habit of disappearing, sometimes for days at a time, often times giving warnings that made sense to Pinkie alone.

Fluttershy did one last loop around Ponyville before deciding that she would look again tomorrow.

Four days later

When Fluttershy woke up, she went about her new routine like normal. She set out food for her indoor animal friends, then set a kettle for tea. Then, she took a dish of milk and laid it out by her chair. After that, Fluttershy went to her front door and opened it to let Pinkie in. True to form, Pinkie crept into the cottage and went straight for the milk.

Except, this time, Pinkie looked a little different. Her coat remained more or less the same, with the exception of her almost-white belly. Her mane all but vanished, only a little tuft visible at the front. Her hooves, somehow, had become paws, gloved with the same pale pink, almost white that adorned her stomach. Her ears had pointed, becoming tipped with white and having a more feline appearance. Finally, her tail had changed to a long, thin, white-tipped appendage.

Fluttershy barely even blinked.

“Hello, Pinkie,” said Fluttershy.

“Meow!”

Fluttershy smiled awkwardly, then closed the door. She went to her kitchen, fixed up her tea, and took a seat next to Pinkie. Over the last four days, Fluttershy had learned a bit about Pinkie the Cat. She learned that Pinkie enjoyed being next to this particular chair, and that she responded really well to scratches behind the ears (most of the time). Fluttershy also discovered that Pinkie would come and go as she pleased, and it was pointless to attempt to control where she went. One thing seemed constant, though: as long as Fluttershy put out milk in the morning, Pinkie would return.

Fluttershy absentmindedly scratched the top of Pinkie’s head. Pinkie allowed this, even purring softly.

“Pinkie, are you turning into a cat?” asked Fluttershy. “I know that sounds… Well, silly, but who knows?”

“Meow!” Pinkie tilted her head slightly. “Meow meow!”

“You don't know?”

“Meow!”

“You do know?” This was getting confusing.

“Meow meow!”

“I see…” sighed Fluttershy. “Hmm… Maybe we should go see Twilight? I bet she'll be able to figure this out.” Pinkie leapt up, arching her back and frizzing up her fur.

“Hsssss!”

“You don't want to see Twilight?”

“Meow meow!”

“Well, why not?” asked Fluttershy, temporarily forgetting that her communication with Pinkie was on a yes/no basis. Pinkie just hissed, shaking her head furiously.

“Oh well,” said Fluttershy, sipping her tea. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Meow!” Pinkie leapt up and landed on Fluttershy’s lap with cat-like grace, curling up into a resting position. Even though Pinkie somehow weighed about the same as a cat, the position was still awkward on account of Pinkie’s size. Still, it was vaguely comforting. Like a bizarre sort of hug.

“Pinkie, why are you doing this?” asked Fluttershy.

Pinkie stood up in Fluttershy’s lap, wiggled her tail, then leapt forward. Before Fluttershy really knew what was happening, Pinkie was gone.

“Oh well,” sighed Fluttershy. She went about her chores as usual, trying her hardest to forget about Pinkie for the time being.

Maybe tomorrow would bring answers.

Two days later

Fluttershy rose from her bed almost mechanically, going about her routine as usual. Food for the cottage friends, set the kettle, dish of milk. When she went to open the door, the situation had changed yet again. Instead of Pinkie and her strange cat-ness was a small, white, angry Persian that Fluttershy recognized.

“Opal?” Fluttershy reached for the cat slowly, gently, the timid gesture conveying nothing but kindness, tenderness, and compassion.

Opalescence swiped a clawed paw at Fluttershy, slicing through the flesh of her forehoof.

“Yup, that’s Opal,” said Fluttershy, gripping her slightly-bleeding arm. She grabbed a roll of bandages from her coffee table and wrapped the wound. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

Opal meowed, then hopped onto Fluttershy’s back, curling up into a warm little ball.

“Well, okay then,” said Fluttershy. “Let’s get you back to Rarity.” Fluttershy was slightly concerned at Pinkie’s absence, but she figured that she could be away from home for long enough to return Rarity’s cat. She left her home, trotting as quickly as she could without disturbing her passenger. Even with the slight inconvenience, Fluttershy made it into town within a few minutes. Her trip to the Carousel Boutique went mostly alright, with the exception of when she stumbled and woke Opal. She had to knock with her off-hoof on account of the open wound. After a few moments, Rarity pulled open her door. When she did, she barely paid Fluttershy any attention, her focus mostly devoted to the area around her legs.

“Oh, hello, Fluttershy,” said Rarity, glancing over her shoulder. “What can I do for you?”

“Um… Are you okay?” asked Fluttershy. “What are you looking for?”

“Opalescence, the naughty girl, ran off someplace,” said Rarity. “I haven’t seen her all morning.”

“Oh, funny you should mention that,” said Fluttershy. She lowered down to let Opal hop off of her back. “I actually came over to bring her to you. She was all the way by my house, believe it or not.” Rarity’s face lit up, and she grinned widely.

“Oh, thank Celestia! I was so worried about you, Opal, honey, I—” Rarity tilted her head in confusion. “Er… Fluttershy? That’s not my cat.”

“Huh? Don’t be silly, of course it is,” said Fluttershy.

“I know that animal care is something of your forte, darling, but I think I know what my own cat looks like.” Rarity inspected the mystery housecat one last time. “No, that definitely isn’t my Opal.”

“But… I… I’m sure it’s…”

“Well, you’ve already come all this way. Do come in, I’ve just put the kettle on,” said Rarity, gesturing for Fluttershy to follow. Rarity led Fluttershy and not-Opal through her home/shop and up to the kitchen. When they got there, Rarity offered Fluttershy a seat, then went about putting together tea for them. All the while, Fluttershy was thinking over everything that had happened.

Was she losing her touch with animals? Was she losing her mind? Was it a combination of the two? Fluttershy couldn’t be sure, and that scared her. Maybe the destiny she thought she knew was all wrong. Maybe she wasn’t meant to deal with animals at all. Maybe, just maybe, she should pick up an accounting job. She was pretty good with money, she reasoned. Perhaps her butterfly Cutie Mark somehow translated to audits.

“Meow!”

The sound came from downstairs, followed by swift, nearly-silent footsteps. In a flash, a blur of pink leapt into the room, landing gently on Rarity’s back. Rarity turned her head up, squealing at the sight of Pinkie Pie (in full pink catsuit) standing gracefully on her back.

“Opal! Oh, Mama was so worried!” said Rarity. She lifted the creature that she seemed to think was a cat and snuggled her, planting a small kiss on her forehead. “Where’d you run off to?”

“Meow!” said Pinkie/Opal simply. Rarity set the cat/pony down, petting her gently. Fluttershy just stared blankly for a moment, then quietly rose from her seat, lifted the actual cat onto her back, turned around, and headed for the door.

“Er… Fluttershy?” asked Rarity. “Is everything alright?”

“Everything is fine, Rarity,” said Fluttershy. She had officially given up. She wouldn’t understand what was happening, and the sooner she came to terms with this, the better.

“Where are you going, dear?”

“Oh, I’m going to the market,” said Fluttershy. “I have to pick up some cat food.” She looked at the animal on her back. “I guess I have a cat now?” She walked out of the room. Rarity and Pinkie/Opal watched with matching smirks, trying to hold in their amusement. When they were sure that Fluttershy was out of earshot, they broke down into a fit of giggles.

“This was my best prank yet!” laughed Pinkie. “Thanks for playing along, Rare-bear!”

“It was my pleasure, Ms. Pie,” giggled Rarity. “I’m quite impressed, Pinkie. This is rather clever of you.”

“Thanks! It was really hard not to laugh when you kissed me on the head, I thought I was gonna ruin it!” Pinkie’s grin was ear to ear, pride for her prank glowing in her chest. She had done well.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” said Rarity. “Where did you get that catsuit?”

“Oh, this isn’t a suit,” said Pinkie with a slightly nervous chuckle. Rarity joined in on her laugh, her laughter catching in her throat when she processed what Pinkie said.

"Wait, what?!”

Author's Notes:

This story was started on February 23, which makes this the longest production time for a one-shot from me. Hope you enjoyed, and be sure to tell me what you do or don't.