As the early summer midday sun beat down on the suburbs of Canterville, there was at least one woman who was not smiling that May Saturday. Aria Blaze got out of her flame red Chevelle that she had parked outside her older sister’s house – she wasn’t worried for the safety of her ride amid the burnt out wrecks of other cars because she knew nobody was crazy enough to mess with her – and she politely knocked on Adagio's front door.

Somewhat predictably, there was no answer from the weather-beaten slab of wood. Aria pulled down her white tee shirt in frustration and she tried to look through the windows. Alas, all of them had their drapes closed tight shut, allowing no light through. Inside, still laid on her lumpy old threadbare couch, Adagio heard the knock, but she just rolled over under and tried to hide under her filthy blanket.

Growling to herself like an angry rottweiler, Aria knocked again, this time with considerably more force on the door. She knocked so hard that several flakes of old paint fell off. Adagio Dazzle grunted under her blanket. She recognised the knock. She knew who it was, and she also knew that she wasn’t going to go away. Her sister was quite prepared and able to pound on her door until she broke it down.

After several long moments, Adagio finally answered her door. While she had forced herself to get up from the couch, she hadn’t been motivated enough to put some clothes on. Instead, she stood in her doorway naked but for the disgusting sweat-stained blanket that she wrapped around herself. Her hacked short hair was stuck out at every angle imaginable and she looked like crap. “What do you want, Aria?” she asked, squinting as the sunlight hurt her eyes.

Without a word, Aria pushed her way past her older sister, and she sniffed. Instantly she regretted this course of action. “Checking for dead bodies, but it seems you're moving.” She gagged and had to force herself not to retch on the ripe stink of the living room that assailed the back of her nose. Aria resolved to breathe through her mouth.

“Ha. Ha.” Adagio said humourlessly as she negotiated the piles of trash, old fast food cartons and dirty clothes and traipsed back to her bed and she laid back down on the couch under her blanket. Everywhere was covered in such a layer of dust that she left footprints behind her on her carpet.

Seeing red, not that she was slow to anger, Aria tore the blanket from Adagio’s naked body. “Eeeeew!” Straightaway she wished she hadn’t done that, as her hands were now covered in some unmentionable stains that she’d rather not know the origins of. “Fucking hell, Dagi, now I need to wash my hands!” She looked down with unconcealed disgust on her face. “And you, it seems.”

Adagio made no attempt to hide the fact that she hadn't bathed or washed in a week, nor did she make any apology for the fact that she stank like week old garbage and that she was covered in streaks of dirt. “I didn't ask you to come, Aria.”

“Like I need permission, Dagi.” Aria snorted through her nose as she marched over to the bay window and wrenched open the curtains which at last allowed the sunlight to shine on the utter dumping ground that was the living room. The night club bouncer was amazed that there weren’t rats or roaches everywhere. “Shower.” She ordered, turning back to Adagio, “Now.”

“Why?” Adagio asked despondently, turning over so that she back was facing the angrily pacing woman stood in her living room, “I don't need to be anywhere till Monday.”

“Wrong,” Aria snarled as she marched over and grabbed Adagio’s ear between the thumb and forefinger of her left hand. “I'll scrub you myself.”

“Owww, Aria!” Adagio tried to swat away her sister’s hand with her right one, “I'm not at work till Monday. It's Saturday.”

“Yes, and you smell like pond scum!” Aria snarled, her legendarily short temper quickly reaching the end of a very short rope, “How can a siren sink so low as to wallow in that!” she screamed at her and, pulling her up to her bare feet, she ignored the squealed protests and dragged her roughly up the stairs and forcefully she shoved Adagio into the shower. “I'm taking you out now,” she said, stripping off her heavy boots and her fashionably ripped jeans, “So you will get ready now.”

Adagio shrunk against the tiled wall of her shower and tried to massage the pain out of her pulled ear. It didn’t work. “I don't want to go out,” she protested uselessly as she wa manhandled by the stronger Aria like she was one of the rowdy clubbers that she dispatched on a nightly basis, “And if you didn't notice, we aren’t sirens. “We are human now.”

“Duh, ever since we came into this excuse for a world.” Aria rolled her eyes at her sister and, as soon as she had the lukewarm water running from the feeble old shower, she was quite vigorous in her scrubbing. “And I don't need some gem to remember who I was.”

Wisely, Adagio gave up on her further protests and she allowed herself to be cleaned without further objection, wary as she was of her sister's temper. The sponge felt like a scouring pad over her naked body, especially how hard Aria scrubbed, particularly over her fat belly, her wide ass and her breasts. The cleaner she got though, the many scars that criss crossed both her arms were revealed one by one. While most were old, some were newer, and the two she had made the day before looked very fresh angry and fresh.

Though she was stunned for a fraction of a second, Aria quickly got over it and, grabbing Adagio’s wrist, she angrily thrust her forearm in front of her face. “What the actual fucking fuck are you fucking doing?” she screamed, so outraged that a vein was throbbing on her forehead, “If you need someone to beat you up that bad, you can call me! Hell, Sona would get in on that action with some spicy taco sauce rubbed in!”

Adagio didn’t fight back. She drooped her shoulders and she looked down at the bathtub and the water that was brown with the dirt washed from her body. “Who cares, Ari? Really?” she then turned her hollow, deadened stare to her own ruined arm, “Besides, it made me feel better yesterday. Not like anyone would miss me. You two are better off without me any way.”

Utterly frustrated, Aria slammed Adagio back into the shower wall by her neck and she counted to ten. Twice. “No, no we wouldn't you fucking idiot!” Barely managing to keep a hold of her ire, Aria pulled her deeply depressed sister out of the shower and vented her spleen at the bathroom instead. “You don't even have a clean towel! Stand here and drip dry!” she placed her on the bathmat, “Brush your hair and your teeth. I'll be back in a moment.”

As Aria left the bathroom, cursing and swearing profanity all the way, Adagio muttered under her breath what the point of it all was but, she nonetheless did as she was told. For the first time in months she brushed her teeth. Her hair, now that it was shoulder length, was short work. Where once upon a time it would take her three hours to properly dry and care for her huge mass of orange curls, now the brushing was over in a matter of moments.

Still blowing a gasket, Aria returned to the bathroom with a smaller hand towel and she started to rub Adagio down with pure vehemence. She wanted her sister to know she was pissed with her. “Your hair is fine short,” she stated, taking a step back and looking at it, “But you're a terrible stylist.” Indeed, in some places it was higher and lower by a good two inches.

“It got all snagged up like it was,” Adagio said with a shrug of her shoulders, “So I just got rid of it. I wasn’t bothered about being neat.”

“Let someone that knows what they are doing fix it.” Aria said, her tone calming somewhat from the volcanic fury that it had been a mere few moments before. With her teeth and hair done, and with her dried, Aria pulled her by the hand back down to the living room. “I brought you some clothes since I figured you haven't done laundry. A change of colour will be good for you.”

Adagio eyed the long dark green summer dress that Aria pulled from her bag with a look of distaste. She just knew it would cling to her belly and her ass like she had velcroed it in place. “What's wrong with sweatpants and a hoodie?”

“Clothes shouldn't be able to stand up with no-one in them.”

“What does it matter? Where are you taking me anyway?”

“Out, so are you going to put this on or do I need to dress you?”

“Fine.” Adagio conceded, for she knew there was no point in arguing with her strong-willed sister. She noted the fact that there was no underwear laid out on the coffee table with the dress, but she really didn't care. “But did you have to choose a dress?”

“Anything is better than those sweatpants and that ratty old hoodie you seem to like so much.”

Reluctantly, only because she had no other option, Adagio slipped the dark green dress over her head and allowed it to fall down her fat body. Just as she predicted, it displayed her doughy belly and her wide behind, but at least it didn’t stink. That was something. “Are you happy now?” she asked as she slipped her feet into a pair of open toed sandals.

“Not really,” Aria snarked, “But at least now we can get out of this...” she waved her hand at the cess pit that was her big sister’s living room, “House. Come along.” Without further ado, she left the building and didn’t look back, she just expected Adagio to follow her to her car.

Adagio stood at the threshold of the house and stared at the overgrown jungle that was her front lawn. Or used to be her front lawn. “You aren't taking no for an answer, are you?”

Aria looked up from her open car door and shook her head. “Not even for a question.”

“Fine,” Adagio sighed in defeat and, as her shoulders slumped, she gave in to the inevitable and for the first time in a week she stepped out of her house. The walk to her sister’s car felt like it took a lifetime. It didn’t help that she felt like she was headed to the gallows. The sun was so unfamiliar that she had to hold a hand up to her eyes because it burned. “I'm sure this is kidnapping…”

Aria pointedly ignored her older sister until she was sat in the passenger seat of the red Chevelle. “If you were my kid, you'd have a hard time sitting.” She shot at her and got in herself and buckled her seat belt.

Adagio gave Aria a sideways look as she started up the muscle car’s powerful engine. “Good thing I'm the older sister then, huh?”

“Then act it. Buckle up.” She snapped sharply as she drove off. She didn’t tell Adagio where they were going, but she was headed to the Three Butterflies animal shelter. While she wasn’t one to gamble, this was literally her last roll of the dice to get her sister straight. She was banking on Adagio getting a pet. That would give her something to care for and a reason to exist.

“Yes, mom…” Adagio snarked and, for a good majority of the ride, she was silent. When she saw the shelter though, she asked, “Why are we here?”

“If you had to be responsible for something,” Aria started, seeing no point in not admitting her plan any longer, “Then you might just be responsible for yourself too.”

“I was responsible for something...someone, two someones, and look where that got us.”

“Shit happens, Dagi.” Aria shut her down as quickly as she could. “Now you can try again without ending the world or something.”

Adagio sighed and rested her chin on the back of her hand as she leant against the car window. “Should've followed your lead, I guess.” There was no way Aria could have messed things up any worse than she had. Hell, even Sonata could have done a better job of it, all things considered.

“It’s a bit late for me to say, 'I told you so',” Aria managed a weak smile. It may be late in the day for ‘I told you so’, but she still liked to hear her sister say she was wrong. “But, stalling in my car isn't going to cut it.”

“Alright, you win, Ari.” Adagio got out of the car and on the sidewalk, she turned to face her younger sister, “You're gonna stay here until I go in, aren't you?”

“Haven't left yet.”

“Give Sonata my love, Ari.” Steeling herself to just get it over with as quickly as possible, Adagio squared her shoulders and walked off up the path to the animal shelter. She didn’t look back, but as she opened the door and stepped inside, she heard the loud belching roar of the engine that told her Aria had gone.

She was not expecting what greeted her once she was inside.

Or, to be more specific, Adagio was not expecting who greeted her once she was inside.

Fluttershy, who was fully expecting Adagio’s presence thanks to Aria having came to her before she had gone to her sister’s house, had one up on her guest and she looked up from her Horse and Hound magazine she had been reading at the serving counter. “Hello Adagio,” she greeted her with her best most disarming smile. “Welcome to the Three Butterflies Animal Adoption Shelter.”

Adagio saw the teenager and she froze in place just inside the door, her eyes wide and blinking unbelievingly like she had just seen the very incarnation of the devil. It was one of ‘them’… The damned Rainbooms. As she looked at the yellow skinned girl, with her long pink hair, her lilac skirt with the paw print on it and her white tee shirt, she struggled to think of her name. Unfortunately, she had no idea what it was. “You...”

“Yes?” Fluttershy asked, straightening the teal coloured bow in her pink hair.

Adagio looked. She stared. She took in the scene. The Rainboom stood surrounded by pet cages and various animals all chittering and chattering away with each other. It was easily one of the most surreal things she had seen lately. “You work here. You…” the ex-siren backed away until her back pressed against the closed door.

“I do!” Fluttershy beamed and stood up, adjusting her white shirt as she did so. “I understand you need a pet that will give you some reason to care.”

“What did you just say...” despite the very surreal nature of the last few minutes, Adagio’s brain was reluctantly starting to work. No matter how she thought about it though, or from what angle, she came back to the same realisation. “Aria set me up.”

“She did schedule an appointment for you, yes.” Fluttershy, standing a whole foot taller than the five-foot-tall Adagio, sized her up with a critical eye like she was a side of beef. It was obvious, in the few months that had passed since the Battle of the Bands, that things had not gone well for her former enemy, if her body was anything to go by. If Fluttershy had to choose a word to describe her, broken would be it.

Still with her back to the door and looking a lot like a cornered animal, Adagio hissed, “I don't need a pet, okay?”

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy countered serenely. She continued to gaze at her, to assess her. While she had obviously let herself go, Fluttershy had to admit to herself that the look suited her. Or, rather, the pudgy belly and the large derriere suited her. She was a lot easier on the eyes now, at least from her point of view. Although, if she was honest, the hair needed attention. “You'd look cute as a pet... er... I mean with a pet.”

Fluttershy almost blushed, because many naughty possibilities were running through her mind. Each one naughtier than the last and serving to create a rather potent little daydream for the caretaker.

“What I need is my voice back!” Adagio spat with a sudden surge of venom that came straight from the bile in her gut. “I need to sing not sound like I'm gargling nails! I need my magic and you took it from me!” As she pointed her finger at her, all at once Adagio sagged and her anger left her as suddenly as it had come. “Ah, fuck it, who cares…”

Though she was stood, Fluttershy had yet to move from where she was. “I care.”

“Sure, you do,” Adagio muttered, though she was struck by the amount of sincerity in the teenager’s voice. So much so that she took a very hesitant step forwards, despite her every instinct telling her to run away as fast as she could.

“Pets are all about responsibility, and they vary in the level of maintenance they require.” Fluttershy spoke as much to herself as to her new guest, because she was still sizing her up and working out the opportunities that presented themselves. “You look somewhat high maintenance, if you don't mind me saying.”

That made Adagio Dazzle laugh, though there was no humour in her laugh. The level of her ‘high maintenance’ was, at one point, legendary. She used to have an army of minions that washed her, dried her, styled her hair and dressed her. Not anymore. “I used to be, yeah.” She saw a chair by the counter, “Can I sit?”

“If you're a good girl, yes.”

Adagio didn’t know what it was about that giggle, whether it was the innocence of it, or the tinkling sound, but it completely disarmed her and had her at ease. “I um, I promise I'll behave, um...” again she was searching for a name she didn’t know. So, she settled on what she assumed was a good stand by. “Rainboom?”

Unfortunately, Fluttershy misunderstood what Adagio had meant. “Oh, um, I can get you complimentary tickets to one of our shows if you really want some.”

“No!” Adagio looked genuinely panicked at the very thought of meeting the other Rainbooms and, in fact, she was about to bolt for the door and run away. “I meant...” she paused, breathing fast and hard to try and contain her anxiety, “I don't know your name. That’s why I called you Rainboom.”

Understanding at last, Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hands, “Aria really did set you up. I'm Fluttershy,” she walked around the counter and extended her hand.

Nervously, Adagio shook the offered hand, though hers shook and quivered thanks to her nerves. It dawned on her that at this close range, the yellow teen was able to see the myriad scars that criss crossed her arms. “I used to call you the Yellow One, the last time I saw you. Um...I’m sorry, about that.”

Nonchalantly, Fluttershy shrugged. She didn’t see anything wrong with that. “Makes sense, I am the yellow one in the group.” Now that she was seeing her up close, Fluttershy walked around the chair that Adagio’s chair, appraising her once more. She saw the scars and she intuitively knew that they were self-inflicted.

Adagio felt suddenly wretched, like she had wronged the young woman somehow. “It wasn't necessary to learn your names. Sunset Shimmer was the one we needed to break. The rest of you weren’t even on our radar.”

“Now that you know mine,” Fluttershy said with a hard edge in her voice, “I don't expect you to forget it.” Unable to stop herself, she traced her index finger around Adagio's neck. It wasn’t much of a stretch to imagine a collar there, a yellow collar.

“Hmmmmmm…” Adagio moaned softly and then she blushed very hard indeed. Why was she feeling like this? Why did the Yellow One…Fluttershy, give her a gut full of butterflies like that? She had no idea, but when she ran her finger across the back of her neck, a sensuous touch, it sent sparks to her core. “I ah, cut my hair…”

Fluttershy could see that the ‘haircut’, if one could call it that, was as self-inflicted as the scars on Adagio’s arms. “If you like I can fix it for you. I've done a lot of grooming.”

“I...” Adagio paused, because she realised she was still blushing just from the electrifying touch of the teenager’s finger along her neck. “I'd like that, please.” What she really wanted was for Fluttershy to touch her neck again.

Walking behind the counter once more, Fluttershy quickly came back with a grooming kit held in her hands. “Pixie or bob?”

“Can you do a bob, please Fluttershy?”

“I can, you're almost there.”

Adagio shrugged her shoulders and sagged a little on the chair when Fluttershy didn’t touch her neck again. “It was stupid long the way it was, and it got all snagged up with snarly manky bits when I didn't wash it, so I just cut it off.”

“It's nice and clean now,” Fluttershy said as she admired the short orange hair. So very different to the huge mass of curls that seemed to go on forever she remembered. “I guess you got ready for your visit. That's nice. Low maintenance owners often want high maintenance pets.”

“Aria dragged me off my couch and scrubbed me clean.”

“That was nice of her. Shows she cares.” Without warning, Fluttershy traced her index finger around the sides and back of Adagio's straw yellow neck again. The things she could do with her, it got her all excited. “I care too.”

Fluttershy’s touch made Adagio shiver in a way she thought she never would do again. What got her worse than that though was the very seductive way she whispered, ‘I care too’ in her ear. “Can um...can you do that again?” Adagio practically begged, and she didn’t care. She just wanted to feel that again. “It feels nice when you do that.”

Summoning all her nerve, Fluttershy decided to demonstrate her dominant side as she kindly gave Adagio what she wanted. She wrapped the forefinger and the thumb of each hand around the ex-siren’s throat. While her hands were big enough that her fingers could touch, they were nonetheless snug. “Is it comforting to know that others care?”

“I know Ari cares,” Adagio sighed now she was feeling that touch once more and she even raised a small smile. “It's me that doesn't care.”

“Maybe you just need some more discipline in your life.” Fluttershy continued boldly. She had watched Applejack with Sunset, Rarity with Pinkie and Twilight with Rainbow. She hadn’t just watched, she had observed, studied and learnt from being around her dominant and submissive friends. “A pet responds to an owner that cares.”

“You are saying I should be your pet, Fluttershy?”

‘YES!’ Fluttershy wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. While that admittedly wouldn’t be a loud scream, she managed to restrain herself. Just. “This is a pet shop and I'm a caring owner.” She stated and then, when she asked her next question, she couldn’t wait for the answer. “Do you need a caring owner to take charge of you so that you will care back?”

Sat on the chair, Adagio was quiet for a long, long time. It didn’t take much introspection on her part to realize the mess she had become as of late. She wasn’t just a mess. She was a wreck, both physically and mentally. She was a wreck and she needed help. She really didn’t want to die. “Yes, I do. I need an owner, Fluttershy.”

It really didn’t help that Fluttershy was hot.

“Admitting the problem is the first step to fixing the problem,” Fluttershy stated and, when she at last removed her hands from Adagio’s neck, she walked back to the counter and reached down. After a moment, she came back up with a yellow collar held in her hands and walked back.

When she saw the collar, Adagio chuckled humourlessly. “I never took you for a dom. The southern girl, definitely.”

As she placed the collar around Adagio's neck, Fluttershy smirked. Everybody made that mistake. Just because she didn’t parade around in thigh high leather boots and a basque, didn’t mean she wasn’t a dom. She demonstrated her dominance by not fastening the collar, instead she left it loose. “I care, so I can be in control. Everyone in here needs me to care. To be in control. The yellow almost fades against your skin, but it will make one look twice. Now, should I fasten this? Or should I put it away?”

Adagio smiled to herself. She knew the game, of course she did. Over her long life she had played both sides of the game. As a result, she recognised immediately when she was being played. She had to admit though, Fluttershy was good. The choice was hers. The power was hers. She chose to use that power. “Yes please. I'd very much like you to buckle that collar, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy very nearly came on the spot. Adagio’s submission was one of the most arousing things she had ever experienced. “Once I buckle this, only I can remove it. You can ask for me to do so at any time, if you wish.”

Adagio nodded her head and, as she did so, she felt a thrill of her own. The thrill of submitting to another, of having another be in total control of her. It was a rush that made her feel alive for the first time in months. “I understand, Fluttershy. Please, go ahead.”

Permission granted, submission given, Fluttershy fastened the yellow collar around Adagio’s neck and claimed her new pet. “You may call me Ma'am or Ms. Fluttershy. Do you have a favorite name, my lovely pet?”

“Yes Ma'am,” Adagio shivered when she said that, because by the ocean it felt so fucking good! “I've always liked Jubilee.”

Upon hearing that, Fluttershy clapped her hands excitedly. “That is a lovely name!” she gently caressed Adagio’s neatly cut – neatly groomed – hair and she started to walk further into the shelter. “Follow.” It wasn’t a suggestion or a request. It was an order. Fluttershy walked over to a low walled enclosure. She didn’t have to look behind her to know that she had been obeyed. Now, that was a thrill!

Inside the enclosure were three dogs, two cats, a raccoon and a rabbit. They all stopped whatever it was they were doing when Fluttershy walked up to the enclosure. They knew who was in charge. “Everyone, this is Jubilee.” Fluttershy had their attention on the first word she spoke. “I want all of you to play nice with her, understand?” her question was greeted with lots of animal noises, of which all said 'Yes, Ms. Fluttershy'. “I have…” she looked up at clock on the wall, “Another forty-five minutes, so you can play with these new friends.”

Stood behind Fluttershy, Adagio got the wide-eyed look on her face as she realised what was going on. It was a slow realisation, because she had been staring at the teenager’s ass and her long sexy legs. Of course, those sexy legs ended in a pair of beautiful perfect feet that Adagio couldn’t help but stare at either. “Ooooh,” she blushed a bright shade of red, “I ah...I wonder if you'd like a third kitty?” she added quickly, “Ms. Fluttershy.”

“Hmmm,” when Fluttershy looked Adagio over this time, it was with a steely, dominant glint in her eye, “We can see how well kitten fits for you. Go on in, I'm sure you'll be well received.” All the animals nodded to the caretaker.

“Yes Ma'am,” Adagio grinned, for she had quickly grown to love the feeling she got down her spine when she said that. Obediently she got into the low walled enclosure and, once she was inside, she got down on her hands and knees. Immediately, her dark green dress rode up around her fat ass and displayed the fact that she wore no underwear.

Watching the show, Fluttershy rather enjoyed the fact that Adagio was going commando. Her mind daydreamed down along more than one path that resulted in her with her head between those thick thighs. She spent a good thirty minutes on that little fantasy until the ringing of the doorbell bought her reluctantly back to reality.

A teenage girl with sea blue skin and blazing orange hair entered the shelter. “Hi, I'm Waterfire and well, my friends say I'm dull.” She introduced herself with no preamble, “I was hoping for a pet to bring out my wild side.”

“I see,” Fluttershy looked her over like she had done with Adagio, “Are you looking for a mammal, reptile, or bird?”

“Mammal please, I'm not sure I'm up to sourcing more exotic food.”

Fluttershy had just the critter for this girl. “Recycle.” The raccoon perks up as soon as he heard his name and Fluttershy leant in close to Waterfire, whispering loudly so that he would hear. “His name was Dumpster, but I didn't think that was nice. He’s house trained like a cat, so you'll need a litter box. He likes almost all food, so he’s easy to feed. He can be grouchy in the morning, but then he is nocturnal. Something like you, I think.”

To say that Waterfire was surprised by all that was an understatement. “How did you know?”

Fluttershy shrugged. It was her gift. She had known almost everything she needed to know about her latest customer the moment she had entered the shelter. “Matching pets to owners is what I do, right, Jubilee?”

Adagio, or Jubilee, was having a bit of fun with the two cats, hunting and swiping paws - curled up hands in her case - and purring, heard her name and she knelt up, her hands held in front of her like paws. “Yes Ma'am, Ms. Fluttershy.”

Waterfire shot Adagio a bemused wary look before she turned her attention back to Fluttershy. “Can I get acquainted with Recycle before I decide?”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Fluttershy agreed, “Jubilee will introduce you.” With that, she left them to it. Waterfire went over and into the enclosure and she coloured up in a deep red blush when she noticed that Adagio wasn't wearing any underwear. Instead, she focused on the raccoon that came up to her.

Adagio crawled over, and she was smiling for once. “Waterfire, right? Nice name.” It certainly suited her. She then introduced the crazy chubby raccoon. “Here's Recycle.”

After fifteen minutes of playing with Recycle, Fluttershy came back to the enclosure. “I’m sorry Waterfire, but it’s time to close up for the day. Have you decided?”

“Yes,” Waterfire nodded eagerly, “Recycle will be wonderful in my home! I'm already feeling my wild side!” she giggled, “I think he won't mind me reading my non-fiction books to him late at night.”

“Oh yes, he will definitely like that.” Fluttershy stated, “He likes it when people stay up with him.” With that, Fluttershy walked with Waterfire and Recycle back to the counter where she arranged the necessary papers for the adoption, as well as a pet carrier, that came with small fee.

“Did you have fun, Jubilee?” Fluttershy asked her pet when Waterfire and the raccoon had left out the door.

“What?” Adagio knelt up in the pet area and looked up at Fluttershy, her hands again held up like they were paws. “Oh...” she looked at the pets who all nuzzled her, particularly the cats and genuinely smiled at the teenager. “Yes Ma'am, I actually did have a lot of fun.” The admission surprised her, but it was true.

“You can help me put the pets up for the night.” Fluttershy clapped her hands and got all the critters’ attentions at once. “Time to go to your homes.” Immediately, the animals did just that, but the ones in the enclosure with Adagio needed help getting out.

“Wow...” Adagio breathed as she got out of the enclosure and helped the two cats out first and she placed them in their large spacious cages. “You actually talk to them, don't you?”

“We have an understanding,” Fluttershy answered vaguely.

“Yeah, so I see.” Once the rest of the animals are put away, Adagio returned to the counter and the chair she had sat on when she had gotten her grooming. “Do you need anything else doing?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy giggled brightly, “I need you to get in my car so I can take you home.”

When she looked out the back door and saw Fluttershy’s car in the parking lot, it was Adagio’s turn to burst out in a fit of giggles. What she beheld was a bright pink Volkswagen beetle with yellow headlights, a white roof and whitewall tires. “Oh, that car is very you, Ma'am. I love the yellow butterflies on the doors.”

Fluttershy arched an eyebrow at Adagio. “Do I need a leash?”

Casting a grin at Fluttershy, Adagio decided to see what her new dominant had in her. “If you've got one, Ma'am.”

Fluttershy giggled, for she was more than up to meet the challenge posed by her pet. “Look around you, do you really think I don't have a leash to match that collar?” Smirking, she reached behind the counter where she got the collar and she produced a matching yellow leash which she clipped to the D ring of the collar. “Come along Jubilee. It’s time for you to go home too.”

Although Adagio’s shoulders sagged a little, she still walked with Fluttershy to her cute pink beetle. “Yeah okay, Ma'am…” she was as enthusiastic as one being led to the gallows at the prospect of returning to her home, and she let it be known, too.

In a stark contrast to her pet’s sudden dour mood, the cheerful Fluttershy was ever cheerful. “Address?” she asked, even though she knew it thanks to having spoken with Aria on the phone.

Still with the same miserable attitude, Adagio duly gave Fluttershy her address which was over in the low rent run down end of the city suburbs. She couldn’t help but think of the three houses that were boarded up and the two cars that were burnt out on her street and wonder that the cute pink beetle wouldn’t last a second.

The ride, while not as long as Adagio would like, was conducted in silence. She had nothing to say, so she remained quiet. It amazed her then, when she pulled up outside her house, that Fluttershy still had her smile. “Stay,” she ordered simply as she got out of her car and, walking around to the passenger side, she opened Adagio’s door and took the leash. “Let's get you inside.”

Stepping out of the car into the late afternoon sun, Adagio froze as she realised what Fluttershy had just said. “You know…you really don't have to come in…”

“Oh, but I do!” Fluttershy beamed, deaf to her pet’s objection, “I want to be sure my pet's 'cage' is ready for her. Litter boxes are a daily task, after all.”

“You'd make me use a litter box?” Adagio blushed hard on the way up the cracked garden path past the overgrown jungle that was her garden.

“Maaaayyyyybe?” Fluttershy giggled.

In spite of her mood, Adagio was really quite aroused by that, but still she paused at the battered old front door. A cold lump of dread formed in her gut and made her feel like shit. She just knew that the second she saw the interior of her home, she’d never see her again. “Fluttershy, I should tell you, my place really isn't clean.”

“I’m surprised at you,” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at her pet, an eyebrow that Applejack would have been proud of. “Kittens are usually clean animals. Maybe my kitty needs instruction?”

“Yeah, maybe.” Adagio sighed and took out her keys. That ball of dread grew and grew by the second. “Okay, don't say you weren't warned,” she muttered and opened her door. Stepping inside, she flicked on the light in the living room.

“I've smelled worse cages,” Fluttershy commented as she stood amid the trash and surveyed the garbage pile. She took note of the fact that there was dust on practically every surface, and that each and every appliance was old, battered and scratched, particularly the ancient cathode ray TV she hadn’t seen since she had been a little girl. The next thing that struck her was the fast food cartons strewn everywhere and, of course, the smell. It was so bad it made her eyes water. “Good effort on your part to win.” She giggled and unclipped the leash. “Okay, you have a trash can, with a bag?”

“Um...” Adagio was so stunned that Fluttershy hadn’t immediately ran screaming, that she wasn’t totally sure. “Uh, yeah, somewhere…” she looked in the utility closet first and, when that came up nothing, she had another idea. “Might be in Aria's room...in her old room I mean.”

“Bring it here, now.”

“Yes Ma'am!” Adagio hastened to obey. There was just…some ‘thing’ in that suddenly dominant voice that had her scooting off up the stairs and into the black walled room with the old ripped punk posters that Aria once called her refuge from the world and she came back down carrying four large empty trash bags.

“Take one bag and put the food waste in it.” Fluttershy ordered as she took three of the bags and placed two in the belt around her waist. “I’ll take one for recyclables.”

“Alright…” Adagio moved in a bit of a daze, slowly as if she were walking through thick treacle, she started near her couch / bed by picking up the old smelly fast food packaging one at a time and thrusting them into the trash bag. It didn’t stay empty for very long, not with the sheer amount of waste that was there.

Every minute or so, Fluttershy stopped what she was doing, and she reached over to affectionately stroke Adagio's short orange hair every minute or so. “Good kitten.”

After the third such stroke, Adagio actually started to purr like a kitten and she perked up, even managing a tremulous smile. “Oh, there it is...” she reached down, and she picked up her ancient cell phone off the floor. The battery was long since dead. She assumed that was why Aria came around unannounced, because she didn’t answer any calls she may have tried to make.

“Kitty can't play with her toys until she has cleaned her cage.”

“Not worth playing with it,” Adagio tossed the dead phone onto the couch and carried on picking up her fast food trash. “It’s a crappy model. All it does is make calls and texts. Doesn’t even take pictures. Besides, I have no idea where the charger is.”

“A kitten doesn't need much more than that. Just so we know our kitty is safe.”

“Uh huh,” Adagio shrugged, still not willing to believe her safety was in any way important to anyone, despite recent evidence to the contrary. She then reached for and picked up a few days’ old pizza box and, because it was a few days old, it promptly broke apart and an old greasy slice of pizza slipped out and hit her dark green dress. It then slid down her dress and slapped on the floor, leaving a long greasy stain in its wake.

“Oh, that’s just fucking great!” Adagio cursed as she picked up the mouldy slice of pizza and tossed it into the trash bag along with the remnants of the box, “Aria's gonna kill me for this!” While they cleaned up the living room, Fluttershy was able to get all the recyclables into one trash bag. Still she continued to pet and encourage Adagio in her good work as she started gathering up the dirty clothing into a pile at one end of the couch.

“There!” Adagio congratulated herself on getting the last of the food waste all in one bag. Now that was done, and with the dirty clothing piled up and the junk mail in a bag, her living room was looking a lot cleaner and more presentable than it had done in several months, although she herself was dirty.

“Do you have a washer and dryer?”

“Yes Ma'am,” Adagio responded quickly, “They're in the utility room.” Without being ordered to, she gathers up the mass of dirty clothes and turned to walk away. “I'll wash the dress while I'm there.”

Fluttershy decided to take the biggest gamble yet. “Add it to the pile now, please.”

Adagio only paused for the briefest of seconds before she obeyed with a, “Yes Ma'am.” She grabbed hold of the hem of her grease stained dress and pulled it up and over her head in one smooth motion. Now standing naked in her living room, the ex-siren didn’t even have the drive to attempt to cover up her C cup breasts, her pudgy belly, her fat ass or her thick bush of pubic hairs that a badger could’ve happily lived in.

Pleased that her pet had no apparent issues with being nude, Fluttershy looked Adagio up and down as she walked around her. Yes, it was a body somewhat gone to seed, but to her it was sexy and hot. Gently, she stroked her kitten’s hair. “Such a pretty kitty. You may start one load and meet me in your bedroom which you will show me now.”

The very fact that Fluttershy genuinely thought she was pretty made Adagio snort out a laugh which she quickly stifled thanks to the look she got. Still, she did like it a lot when she stroked her hair. “Yes Ms. Fluttershy,” obediently, she grabbed what she judged was one load’s worth of clothes, placed it in the washer, turned it on and then she led the way up the flight of stairs to the first floor.

On the first floor, there was a short corridor and four doors, hers was the first and the last was the bathroom. “In here.” In her bedroom, which was pretty much clean, if a little dusty, had the standard furniture of double bed, nightstand, dresser and a vanity. Without comment, Fluttershy proceeded to strip the bed of its linens, which she passed to her pet.

While Adagio took the bed linens down to the utility room. As soon as she was alone in Adagio’s bedroom Fluttershy took the first opportunity to snoop in Adagio’s drawers and her closet. In the drawers of the dresser she found an assortment of mismatched underwear in one and a couple of vibrators, butt plugs and a blindfold in the other. The closet yielded several sweatpants and hoodie combos as well as three Burger Joint uniforms. On the dresser was a small pile of Rainbooms clippings, though they were months old, some were dated right after the Battle of the Bands.

Curiously, Fluttershy organized the newspaper clippings to see if anything new might be in there. What she found was that the very early clippings all had the faces defaced and unrecognizable, while the later ones had red crosses scrawled over the faces and the most recent ones were just lying there untouched.

“What you looking at those for?” asked Adagio as she came back up the stairs from the utility room.

Looking up from the newspaper clippings, Fluttershy gave Adagio a light version of The Stare. “Does my kitty think her owner shouldn't look at whatever she wants in her kitty's cage?”

“N-No m-Ma'am...” Adagio stammered, caught off guard by the stare of her new dom. ‘Light’ as it was, it still sent chills down her spine. “I just wondered...um...those, in particular, I uh, should've thrown them out ages ago.”

Fluttershy let out a bright giggle, “A lot of things in the other room should have been thrown out 'ages' ago. It’s always nice to know,” she shook the clippings, “I have fans.” Then, she opened the drawer that contained the sex toys. “Kitty will never open this drawer,” she stated before closing it again.

“No Ma'am, I won't,” Adagio sighed and looked down at the worn carpet and her bare feet. “If you must know, I was all about the revenge in the days after the battle, but well...” she sighed again, it never happened. Ari and Sonny just...moved on.”

Affectionately, Fluttershy skritched under Adagio's chin. “And now you're moving on too.”

‘Sweet ocean waves!’ thought Adagio, though what escaped her lips was a very pleasured moan indeed. “Hmmmmmm!” she let out a loud purr, “Y-Yes Ma'am, moving on, Ma’am.”

“I approve of what is in your closet,” Fluttershy smiled, “But that dark green dress was nice.”

“I usually just wear my uniform when I’m going out, or the sweatpants and hoodie. I don't bother with clothes in here, I mean who cares, it's just me.”

Serenely, Fluttershy smiled, “You didn't see the kitties in the shop dressed up, so that is fine. Still, I may wish to show you off so keep the dress clean and ready.”

“I will, Ma'am. Um...can I get you a drink?” Adagio thought she ought to at least make an offer, seeing as how the teenager had just helped her clean up her filthy living room. “I can do water, or tea or coffee as long as you don't want milk.” She just remembered the state of the inside of her fridge. It wasn’t pleasant.

“It’s a good thing then that the kitty doesn't need milk,” Fluttershy giggled, “Tea with honey if you have it, nothing if you don't,” with that, she left the bedroom to go and sit on the couch.

“The milk went off three days ago. Couldn't be bothered to go to the store.” Adagio followed Fluttershy down the stairs to the kitchen where she got the kettle boiling after a quick hasty clean. She managed to find a clean cup in her cupboard and, after prepping it with a tea bag and a spoonful of honey, she asked, “Ma'am? May I please have a coffee?”

“Such a good kitty for asking, you may, Jubilee.”

Adagio blushed and pressed her chubby thighs together. “Thank you, Ma'am.” Damn it was hot to be given permission like that. When the tea and coffee was ready, she bought both cups over to the coffee table and she knelt on the floor by the couch.

Shaking her head, Fluttershy patted the couch seat next to her. “Unless that’s how you are normally, I will train you to that point. Up here, because I know how uncomfortable it can be.” When she sat next to her, Fluttershy traced a finger around the edge of the yellow collar. “Aria made the appointment, but nothing else. This play is something I enjoy, but it is important to me that you enjoy it too.”

“I do enjoy it, Ma'am. I haven't been a sub for a long while, but I do enjoy it.”

Gently, tenderly, Fluttershy kissed the end of Adagio's nose. “Then, Jubilee, that is your name with this on. I will need to know when you want to come out of character.”

Adagio knew what Fluttershy meant by that. “I'd like Ocean to be my safeword, but to be honest I'd like to keep it on. It feels nice. I haven't had much 'nice' in my life, lately.”

“I'm sure your co-workers will notice, and isn’t it a violation of your uniform standard?”

“Fluttershy,” Adagio snorted, “Trust me nobody at the Burger Joint will give a shit what I wear.”

“When do you work next, and what times do you work?”

“This Monday coming,” Adagio replied, “I do the noon till seven shifts.”

“Tomorrow is my one day off, so we'll have a pet play date right here. I'll bring some kitty toys for you.” Fluttershy gave her kitten a light boop to her nose before taking a long drink of her tea. “The toys in the bedroom will remain in that drawer, so no extra ideas.” When she leant in close, she kissed Adagio’s nose. “I'll be over at eleven a.m. I haven't looked in your fridge yet. Should I avoid that for now?”

“Uuuuuuhm...that's probably for the best, yeah.” Adagio found herself blushing extremely hard from the kiss alone. “I'll restock it in the morning before you get here.”

“Nothing fancy for me. I like salads and simple foods. I'm not vegan though I know there are rumors out there.”

“Good to know, so ah, does this mean we're dating, now?”

The soft, tentative, hesitant nature of the question gave Fluttershy pause for thought. “You're my pet, Jubilee, for now at least. Maybe you'll be a more intimate pet later. For now, I think your cage is safe. I'll see you in the morning.” After she had drank the rest of her tea, she gave her pet a very light kiss to the lips. “Remember to dress when you go shopping. I don't want to have to get you out of the pound.” She giggled, “If you don't already have a spare key for me, please get one tomorrow.”

“I will, while I'm out.” Adagio again blushed very hard. “I only ask because, because I've never actually dated, before, at all. I've had thralls, minions, slaves, but um...not actually a date, like in forever.”

Once her tea was gone, Fluttershy stood up. “Well, now you can add ‘owner’ to your list. Sleep well, my precious Jubilee.” She then walked out of the front door without looking back.

“By the seas and oceans that was hot…” Adagio lifted her cup up to her lips to drink her coffee, then she realised it was cold but she drank it anyway, as it slowly sunk into her head that she was in a relationship with Fluttershy.

And she was totally okay with that.

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