I'm sorry for the long wait everyone. I've been backed up on requests and helping others edit their stories while working on my own, but I finally found some time to publish my EQG Fluttershy story. I'll be sure to publish some more chapters sooner or later, so be patient

A happy family: the one thing that almost everyone in this entire world longs for. Some of them have a happy family, be they big or small. The luckiest children have not only their parents, but their grandparents, aunts and uncles and even younger and older cousins. Other children only have their parents as their only family and a sibling or two and that's something that they would never let go of. But there are other children who are not so fortunate in being blessed with one or both loving parents in their lives. And one such child who had the misfortune of being born to a lousy dad was none other than you.

For nearly your whole life, ever since you were nine, you had to live under the torturous life of your own dad who was a vile, selfish man who only cared about two things: women and drinking. Your mom, on the other hand, is a devoted and very hard-working mother who loves you very much.

Back when you were nine years old, your mom filed for a divorce because she caught your dad cheating on her with other women, sneaking them into her house and buying beer with all the hard-earned money she worked for to pay for the rent, bills and the food. She got the divorce settled, but your dad took custody of you against your will. Every day for 8 years, you had to do whatever he told you to do.

His repulsive behavior made you snap at him one time, but he snapped back at you saying you should never disobey your father like that and that he gave you life, so you owed him.

During school, living with your dad made you develop a "bad boy" type of vibe. You didn't get tattoos, far from it, you just had this habit of hanging out underneath the tree during lunch time with a couple of other "bad boys" who didn't mind you hanging out with them. Apparently, they had parental issues with their moms and dads the same as you do. Though, just like you, they don't feel like talking about their own personal problems with others.

Around the time when you were in high school, you isolated yourself from others even more. You're not sure how, but now it's like if anyone even looks at you, they think that you're gonna hurt them. Despite having developed an intimidating look, you weren't the violent type towards anyone other than your dad.

By the end of your high school days, you let your hair grow out and you finally found the guts to tell dad off about how you didn't owe him shit. You rambled on about he never should have even won custody over you and should have just been left with nothing. As if it wasn't bad enough, your dad tried to send you on a guilt trip by saying stuff like "this is the thanks I get for bringing you into this world?" It didn't work on you because right after he asked that, you asked him why he should care since he tore the family apart.

The fight between you and your dad broke out one night with him throwing his empty beer cans at you, but you had a way to shut him up and that was by tossing his fat ass over your shoulder and onto the ground, thanks to those Judo classes.

However, the next day went from bad to worse. First, he tried to break down your bedroom door with a knife and started yelling for you to open up so he could teach you a lesson. However, you called the cops and told them about what's going on and then waited for them to arrive. Thanks to that quick response, they got to your dad's house before he had a chance to get to you.

On the following week, this was taken to court. Your dad was found guilty for reckless endangerment of a minor, child (this was back when you were still 17), child abuse and to your surprise, attempted murder and he was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison.

At least the nightmare was finally over and your mom got to have full custody of you after 8 long years of torment from that disgusting father of yours. After your dad was carted off to prison, you packed up all of your stuff from your dad's house and brought them over to your mom's house. The time you had with your mom was a bit short, but you made the most out of it by spending some quality time with her.

Today, you lived on your own in a small apartment complex. In order to pay for the rent, your mom pitched in and helped you get a job as a zookeeper. Your main job was pretty scary to most people, but to you, it was less scary than being with your drunken dad.

That main job was feeding the predatorial animals in their exhibits. It took a bit of time for the predators to take a liking to you, but it was worth the 5 months you worked there. Right now, you were in the white siberian tiger exhibit, feeding the zoo's beloved 3-year old, female siberian tiger: Sue Ling. The giant kitty always felt so calm when you were about to feed her and would always purr and nuzzle you anytime you came up and gave her her daily meal.

"Good girl, Sue. Enjoy your meal," you said, petting her on the head. You left the enclosures and went took some of the other buckets of meat with you to the other predators.

All around, people would either get scared of you because of your intimidating looks, or they'd probably just be shocked at the hands-on approach you used with the tiger. You didn't mind people looking at you like that and quite frankly, you did kinda blame yourself for looking the way you are. Eventually everything stopped when you reached the polar bear exhibit. The bear, whom was named Boogey, due to his love of dancing, was a little bit uncomfortable with being near you unlike the tiger.

Anyways, you set aside of fish for Boogey so he could fuel up and dance for his loving audience. "Eat up, big guy, this way you can get your boogey on," you encouraged him before leaving the enclosure.

Your next stop was at another bear exhibit. More specifically, a black bear exhibit. And that black bear you had to feed was named none other than... Baloo. Now, Baloo was actually the definition of a huggable bear, so you were prepared to get the biggest hug from "papa bear." However, on your way to his exhibit, you accidentally bumped into one of the people who came to see the animals.

"Oof! Oh jeez, are you alright?" you asked. But from the moment your eyes locked who you bumped into, your heart raced faster than a cheetah.

The person in front of you was a very beautiful and adorable woman who had cream yellow skin. She also had these big beautiful teal-colored eyes that sparkled so beautifully. She had long, silky pink hair with a butterfly hair pin on the left side of her forehead. She wore a cute blue dress with butterfly stickers on her skirt. She looked like the most beautiful woman to ever walk the Earth.

"I... I'm fine, really. I... I just--" she gasped the moment she got a look at your face. "O-Oh my, I... I didn't mean to... I... I'll just be out of your way now." Sadly, the cute young lady ran the other direction. You let out a sigh, looked down and then shook your head.

"Oh well, I guess it can't be helped. It is partly my fault for looking so scary," you said. With another sigh, you made your way towards the bear exhibit so you wouldn't keep Baloo waiting any longer. If ol' papa bear doesn't get his daily dose of vitamins and minerals, he'll put you on the menu.

You reached the bear exhibit and noticed Baloo in his little rocking back, relaxing while his paw dangled over his bed with nothing better to do.

His attention is brought over to you as you open the door to his exhibit and walk in. You close the door and walk up to him with a big smile. "Hiya, Baloo. How's my favorite papa bear?" you asked. The giant furry bear climbed out of his napping spot and ran over to you. Some of the people who were watching were gasping, worried that he might eat you. Baloo gets close enough and... papa bear hugs you.

"Aww, missed you too, papa bear," you said, hugging him back. He gave out soft roars and brings you down to the ground, smothering you with more of his bear hugs. "Okay, Baloo, take it easy! It's time for you to get that belly of yours filled up."

Baloo gets off of you and sits on his tush. You get up on your knees and grab the buckets you had behind you and dump his food into his feeding bowl. Baloo loved eating fruits and berries, along with some tasty meats and then refilled his other bowl with some fresh cold water. You pet Baloo on his head and leave the exhibit and let him eat his meal in peace. You open up the door and walk out of the exhibit before closing the door and heading out to where the tourists were all at.

Everyone was just staring at you with disbelief and shock. Guess they've never seen a bear tackle you like that in real life and live to tell the tale.

"I know what you're all thinking and I'd be doing the same thing if I was in your shoes. I highly recommend you don't try this at home, everyone. But if it makes you feel better, Baloo is completely tame around people who come to see him and he's a bit of a hugger. However, whenever he's eating, you don't want to get in the way until he wakes up from his after-dinner nap later on," you explained.

Some of the audience gave out sighs while others said stuff like "don't scare us like that," or "you need to do your job a little more carefully," as if they've worked here in the zoo before. But then, after the commotion had died down and everyone left to check the other animals, only one remained.

It was the same girl who fled after she saw your face. But now, she had a whole new perspective on you. "I... I never knew how much of a big heart you had for all of these animals. I'm... really sorry for running away like that, I hope there's no hard feelings about it," she said, rubbing her shoulder, filled with guilt. It shocked you deeply to think that someone other than your mom and your boss would tollerate your fierce appearence, and it was this beautiful, yet adorable girl no less.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's pretty normal that people get scared when they see me. I mean, it is partly my fault since I did end up taking up this appearence over the years," you said, being understanding.

"Really? W-Would it be okay if we... have lunch. Oh, umm... i-i-if that's okay with you. But i...if you're too busy for that, then I completely understand," she said. It's amazing how someone would actually take interest in someone like you, especially a cute girl like her. Of course, the way she kept assaulting you with her cuteness made you blush a little bit.

"S-Sure, I'm supposed to take a lunch break after I fed Baloo, anyways. Is there anything in particular you want for a quick bite to eat? I know of a few food stands nearby," you offered.

"Oh yes, that would be nice. I am a bit hungry for a salad," she agreed, rubbing her stomach. You nodded and guided the young lady with you to one of the food stands. While passing by a few animal exhibits, the girl seemed to be interested in most of the animals that were being given their daily dose of TLC. And it wasn't until after you both passed the panda bear exhibit that she tells you, "You know, a lot of these animals really seem to like you, do you care for all of these animals?"

"My schedule is different each day. Every day of the week, I visit each animal exhibit and care for them, even strike up a few conversations with them, telling them a few stories here and there. I like to talk to animals because it calms my nerves," you explained, looking at each exhibit.

"That's so sweet. I can already hear them saying "Thank you." You know, I also look after animals, too. I run this cute animal shelter just a few moments away. It's not much, but I still try my hardest to make sure every single animal finds a nice warm home with caring and loving owners. In fact, I even have an adorable pet bunny rabbit, his name is Angel Bunny," she said, bringing a smile on your face.

"Really now?" you asked. The girl nodded. Just then, you quickly realized something. "Whoops, I almost forgot, we didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves." And afterwards, both of you exchanged each other's names, starting with your name.

"Oh, what a nice name. I'm Fluttershy. It's a pleasure to meet you," she replied. You thought it was a cute name, considering that being shy is probably in her nature sometimes. After introductions were finished, she suddenly stops you when you both just passed a food stand. She quickly points to the one over on your left, which you quickly notice and then walked over to it.

Both you and Fluttershy talked to the man behind the stand and placed your orders. Fluttershy ordered a nice garden salad first, then you ordered yourself a cheeseburger with a side order of chili cheese fries and a nice cold cup of Pepsi and then gave the man your cash.

You then sit down at a table and just listened to the sounds of the zoo animals making their happy noises and watching the kids and their families walk around. Seeing the smiles on the kids faces, listening to them laugh and play makes you feel good inside. It made you feel so good, you gave out a small chuckle before realizing that Fluttershy was sitting next to you. She immediately picked up on what it was that was making you so happy and she addressed it to you.

"Guess you like kids, huh?" she asked, instantly snapping you out of your mind.

"Oh yeah, they're one of the reasons I got a job as a zookeeper. I like to see them having a good time checking out a lot of the animals here. Every time I look at them having such a fun time here at the zoo, with their loving parents, it gives me a sense of hope," you replied.

"Hope? What do you mean? Didn't your parents take you here?" she asked.

You shook your head. "No, I never had a pleasant childhood. As you can obviously see, my face is the result of how much of an impact my life was before," you replied, pointing at your scary face. "I feel like Ritsu Kasanoda from Ouran High School Host Club. Isn't that funny?"

"One of my friends actually watched that show. They said it was so cute and so beautiful," she replied. "So does that mean you've seen the show?"

"Twice, mostly because I like how it's so funny. Though, I prefer other shows li-- oop, looks like our food is just about ready, so how about we grab our meals first?" you asked. Fluttershy nodded. The two of you stood back up and walked over to the stand, grabbing your food before returning to your seats. "As I was saying, I prefer to watch other shows like Case Closed or possibly some of these old cartoons like Tom and Jerry or Looney Tunes, not the newer, crappy ones."

"Tom and Jerry? Well, it is funny, but I never liked the idea of animals hurting each other. Now, Looney Tunes, I would agree, it is pretty funny," Fluttershy said before eating her salad.

"It's even more funny when Bugs Bunny is the main star of the show. I think that he's probably one of the bestest and most iconic cartoon trolls that has ever been made. He makes me wish I was him just so I can solve pretty much any problems I might have," you chuckled, before biting into your cheeseburger and chili cheese fries and taking a sip of your pepsi. "Mmm, I really needed this."

"Me too. So what other animals need your attention?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hmm, let's see," you said, stroking your chin. "I think there's the lion exhibit, then there's the elephant exhibit and many others that probably a lot of people are scared of. But I think even the workers here are more afraid of the rhino exhibit." you explained.

"Oh wow. I hope you'll be okay when it's time," Fluttershy said.

"You know... I'm actually praying for the very same thing," you replied. Soon, after your friendly chat, you and Fluttershy got back to eating your meals. Once you both finished, Fluttershy tells you she had to leave in order to head back to the animal shelter so she could feed the animals. You wished her a goodbye and then suddenly got something unexpected from her. On a little piece of paper, she wrote and gave you her phone number, surprising you like never before in your life. No one has ever given you their phone number. Not once in your whole entire life.

Next thing you knew, she gave you a hug and then she waved goodbye. You waved back at her and got back to work by heading on over to the lion exhibit. Simba, Nala and Kiara weren't going to be able to wait much longer and you had to hurry, otherwise you'd be on the menu.

The hours went by smoothly. The only injuries you got out of the whole ordeal were a few small claw marks from Kiara and a broken arm when Hathi, the elephant, smacked you against a wall with his trunk and boy did it hurt you pretty bad when he hit you. Your boss found out and highly recommended that you should have it checked out and take at least a week off. After work, you called up your mom and told her you needed to get to a doctor because you broke your arm.

She quickly came and got you and then drove you to the hospital. You both spoke to the doctor and he said that upon the harsh impact, your shoulder was dislocated. The doctor recommended that you do not go to work for a few days and try to do some stretching exercises, use a sling and take some anti-inflammatory painkillers to help you sooth the pain

You didn't argue with the doctor and followed his orders. Your mom quickly took you back to your apartment and helped get the door open for you. "Hey, thanks mom," you said. She hugged you, but not too tightly and then whispered something in your ear you hadn't heard in quite a while.

"Please be careful next time, okay sweetheart?" she asked.

"I'll be sure to take a note of that the next time "Colonel Hathi" smacks me into the wall," you said, jokingly, getting a laugh out of you and her.

"Well, I'd better get home now. Bye, sweetie," she said, heading back to her car.

"Later, mom," you replied. Soon, you stepped inside your home and closed the door, then locked it. With a sigh, you walked into the kitchen and decided that for tonight, you would eat not just one, but two grilled cheese sandwiches, as the monster in your stomach won't stop growling until it gets its fill. You had every intention of eating yout fill... that is until you heard the sound of barking coming from behind you.

You quickly turned around and saw a big dog which was a mix of husky and wolf with these beautiful sky blue eyes and is panting heavily. Instantly, you recognized him and kneeled down.

"Hiya, Balto. Your old man here got into an accident earlier today," you said, pointing to yourself. Your pet quickly nuzzles you, and then gives you a hug. "It's alright, buddy. It's nothing serious, I'll be able to get back on my feet once my arm heals in about a week. In the meantime, you and I will have a lot more time to spend together and that means more walks, more belly rubs and more playtime." Your pet was really felt happy when you said all of that, judging by how he was barking and dancing in circles and wagging his tail.

"And just wait until one day I introduce you to my new friend... she's a really girl," you added.

At that moment, Balto tackled you to the ground and licked your face. You grunted when your injured arm sent jolts of pain throughout your body. "GAH!!! Balto, what happened to self control?!" But your pet didn't whimper or anything, probably because he was too excited by the fact that either you would be spending more time with him, or you'd be introducing him to your new friend. Either way, you can already tell that your luck was finally starting to change for the better.