Rainbow Dash's POV

It was already late September, just a few days away from October, and the vegetation's colors were significantly faltering. From vibrant emerald to a smooth bronze, the leaves were now drifting away from their homes and falling to the brown patches of grass below. I idly stared through my bedroom window and watched as the wind blew each leaf further away from its starting point.

Lately, nothing much has happened since the day Fluttershy confronted me. Gilda stopped showing up to school for whatever reason, and the Dazzlings haven't heard or received anything from her either which I'm thankful for. Both Fluttershy and I obtained a sense of relief ever since Gilda stopped coming.

I let out a short sigh before peeling my eyes away from the view outside and got up to change into different clothing. I opened my closet doors and grabbed a plain white shirt followed by some torn black skinny jeans along with my favorite red flannel. After changing into them, I pulled on my black high tops and grabbed my phone. I pressed the home button and saw that it was seven thirty in the morning. Fluttershy still wasn't awake yet, and neither was Scootaloo.

Today was a Saturday, and usually I would go out to see Fluttershy or take her out somewhere on a date. Since I woke up earlier than usual, I decided to stay in for a couple hours before texting my girlfriend. I walked downstairs then to the kitchen where I then popped in two slices of bread into the toaster. While I was waiting for the toast to come out, I opened the fridge and took out the container of butter and placed it on the counter. Suddenly, I heard a loud crash come from upstairs. The abrupt noise caused me to jump and look up at the ceiling like a fool. I swallowed hard before grabbing a knife from the drawer and began to run upstairs to check on Scootaloo.

I opened her bedroom door and saw her sitting up on her bed with wide eyes clutching onto her blanket.

"You okay?" I asked her with concern in my voice. She wiped away some leftover drool from her chin and nodded her head before getting out of bed to walk towards me. I cautiously looked around her room until she stopped me by nudging my shoulder with her hand.

"It came from his room..." Scootaloo replied in a hush. Fear grew in her eyes as she held onto my forearm. We both walked down the hallway until we caught sight of the staircase leading to the third floor. The both of us tensed up at the scene and I swear I felt my heart stop for split second. I know I shouldn't be afraid to go up there, especially since our father was now serving his time, but the trauma he inflicted on the both of us stuck with me.

"Go to your room..." I reluctantly told my little sister who gave me a look of disbelief.

"Why?"

"Just go." I responded slightly annoyed. I wasn't going to let whatever was up there harm my sister. I advanced toward the staircase and felt my legs begin to tremble as my foot took its first walk on the first step of the staircase. I turned back and saw Scootaloo with her arms folded in front of her chest with a scared look on her face.

I returned my gaze back in front of me and clutched onto the knife tighter than before. With each step I took, anxiety began to replace the concern and curiosity I had before I realized the crash came from his quarters. I was now at the top of the staircase, standing directly in front of the large white French doors. The massive doors made me feel the same way my own father made me feel while he was still here: Small, unworthy of anything, useless, meaningless.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the doors slowly and carefully, all the while keeping a tight grip on the knife in my hand. The room was very dim, with the exception of the light that seeped through the drawn curtains on the several large rectangular windows that showed the backyard of my home. I looked to my left and found the light switch. As I turned it on, the room lit up instantly and the sight of what the room itself contained nearly blew me away.

Fluttershy's POV

The alarm on my phone went off signaling that it was time for me to get dressed and get to work. After talking to Dashie about the events with Gilda, my mom had returned with a flyer showing a volunteer program at the local animal shelter in Canterlot. Since I had a natural love for animals I instantly said yes and the volunteering program allowed me to go for the weekends only since I had school. If I wanted to, I would go to the shelter after school and stay until closing which was at nine in the evening.

I got up from my bed and opened my drawer to grab a simple black tee with a yellow smiley face printed on the front. I then slipped on a pair of denim shorts and put on my white Converse and brushed my hair then tied it up into a ponytail before leaving my room to grab a meal at the kitchen where I found my mom wide awake in her work clothing.

"Morning Shy. Your breakfast is on the table," she greeted me with a happy tone.

"Morning, and were you able to find a bike that was for sale?" I asked while taking a seat at the kitchen table in front of the plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. I took a sip of my orange juice before digging into my food. She sighed and placed her own plate of food in the chair beside me and sat down.

"Nope... I'm sorry, Shy. I'll keep looking though," she said with a saddened voice. I pouted but nodded nonetheless.

"All right. Can you give me a ride to the shelter again?" She nodded in response, her mouth full of food. She looked at me and made gestures with her hands pointing down the hallway where Angel's room was. I took a quick bite from the strip of bacon I had then walked to his bedroom. When I opened it, Angel was fast asleep. Quietly, I shut the door and knocked on Featherweight's room. After a minute or so, I heard footsteps approaching the door. When it opened, Featherweight appeared with messy hair and a tired looking face.

"Yeah?"

"Mom is going to work, and I'm going to be at the animal shelter volunteering. Keep an eye on Angel while we're gone." Featherweight nodded and went back into his bedroom. I walked into my room to grab my phone then went back to the kitchen. I continued to finish my breakfast. After I placed my dirty dishes in the sink and grabbed my backpack and put my phone in the front pocket. Once my mom was done with her food, she said her goodbye's to my brothers and stepped outside.

On the driveway beside her car, I was surprised by a brand new bicycle perched beside it. It was lime green with black handlebars and a seat. I smiled and hugged my mom extra tight for the unexpected surprise. "Thank you so much."

"You better be careful getting to the shelter! I don't want to see my daughter in the hospital," My mom chuckled and hugged me back tightly and kissed the top of my head. I laughed along with her then put my backpack on before hopping on my new bicycle and riding off down the street.

It must have taken ten minutes before I finally reached my destination. I guided myself to the bicycle parking and left my bike there then walked into the animal shelter. The shelter itself had a colorful exterior and the autumn leaves made the shelter look inviting. The front of the shelter had a fenced area where some dogs and puppies were free to roam around outside and play with potential owners.

I walked into the shelter and was greeted by my new manager.

"Good morning, Miss Shy. As you may know from last weekend's events, we got new animals that arrived yesterday afternoon. I need you to give those new pups a bath and some food. After, just come and see me when you're all done," he said politely then took my backpack to leave at his desk where other volunteers had their belongings at. He then guided me to the back of the shelter where several dogs were caged off in. The sight always made me feel sad for the poor animals, but I was happy that they had enough room compared to other shelters.

"So... Here, you'll be getting them all washed up. The shampoo for them is just on top of the shelf as you can see. I recommend using the flea and tick shampoo, by the way. Not sure why we still have those old ones... Anyways, here are the numbers of the pups you'll need to wash up. I have to warn you, one of them is injured so I can take care of that one," the manager said with a slight tone of disappointment.

"Oh, what happened to it?"

"Well," he sighed, "the previous owner was arrested for animal cruelty. The poor thing has cuts all over its body... It's too scared to even let anyone lay a hand on 'em."

"That's awful... I'll try my best to get it all cleaned up."

"All right. I'll bring you some bandages and a cone for it once you're finished. Thank you so much, Shy." The manager smiled before walking back to the front of the shelter. I took a look at the number on the clipboard and decided to wash up the injured dog first. I walked out of the room and paced down the many cages I had passed by earlier until finally reaching the dog. I felt my breath hitch as I saw the appearance and injuries inflicted.

The puppy must have been less than a few months old, and was a beautiful white Siberian Husky with blue eyes. Its sides seemed to be shaved off where the cuts were. Luckily, they weren't as severe as I thought. As I opened the cage with the key, I stepped in and slowly approached the pup and sat in front of it until it advanced on its own.

It must have taken about ten minutes before it finally allowed me to carry it to the back.

After I washed it, I named him, Krypto, after my favorite TV show as a kid. I carried Krypto with me to speak to the manager about the bandages. With each second, Krypto continuously licked my face causing me to giggle.

"Whoa, I didn't think it would let you take it." He laughed and gave him a few scratches on the back of its ear. I smiled at Krypto then turned to look back at the manager.

"How much for him? I'd like to adopt him." I asked with a smile as Krypto licked my cheek once more.